Harry Potter and his Sacrifice
by Avalokiteshvara
Summary: Chapter 12 pt.2 is finally up! Harry returns to Hogwarts for his sixth year. Dumbledore has come up with a plan to defeat Voldermort, but in order for it to work, Harry must make some sacrifices. Very slight hints of slash of the HD variety.
1. Regular Occurence

**Disclaimer: I do not own any familiar characters. They belong to the great J.K. Rowling. I do not make money off this, so please don't sue me! Trust me, it's not worth it!**

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Chapter 1

Regular Occurrence

In an ordinary city, in an ordinary neighbourhood, in an ordinary house, an extraordinary boy lay in his bed thrashing wildly in his sleep. He bolted upright a few moments later shaking uncontrollably and drenched in an icy sweat. Harry grabbed his glasses from his nightstand and put them on, though with some difficulty since his hand was shaking. He felt like he was going to throw up, and he couldn't seem to get enough oxygen into his lungs. He sat in bed and waited for the feeling to pass, for he knew it would eventually pass. You see, he had been having the same nightmare since the nightmare since the beginning of summer. When he could breathe normally again, he looked at the time and got out of bed. It was only a quarter 'til five, but he knew he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. He stretched luxuriously and let out a moan of pleasure when he heard his spine crack. He could still see the waxing moon as he gazed out his window, searching the skies for answers to his many questions. He decided to go for a run, for two reasons. One, running somehow helped him see things in perspective, and second, running would clear his head of the image that haunted him in his nightmares; the image of his godfather, Sirius Black, falling into the veil at the Department of Mysteries.

Just as he was leaving, Hedwig flew in through the open window. He took the letter from her and gave her a treat. He knew it was from Hermione instantly because of her neat scrawl. He opened it. It contained a hurried note and four hundred pounds.

_Dear Harry,_

How are you? I hope those horrid muggles are treating you well. My parent and I were just about to leave on vacation when we got your letter. The galleons you sent are equivalent to four hundred pounds, which I have enclosed. I have to go now or else we'll miss our flight to Egypt. Take care of yourself, and I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer.

Love Always, 

_Hermione_

"That was fast," he thought to himself, surprised since he had sent the letter only last night.

He had taken too much money out of his Gringotts account at the beginning of last year, so he decided to have it converted into muggle money and finally buy himself clothes that actually fit rather than continue to wear his whale of a cousin's hand-me-downs. He put the money away and quietly crept down the stair, careful to jump over the one that creaked. Once he was outside, he began to jog steadily down the street, picking up speed as he went. He ran until he was too exhausted to think about anything, then he returned to the house. The sun was up by now and so were the Dursleys. They had definitely taken the Order's threat to heart and though they didn't go out of their way to be nice to him, at least they were civil to him when they were forced to be in his company. Specifically, during meals. After he showered, he joined his 'family' for breakfast in the kitchen.

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That's chapter one for you. I know it's rather short, but chapter two is already written and just needs some editing. Drop me a review and let me know what you think. Flames are welcome and will be experimented on in my CMB Lab.


	2. Things are finally looking up!

**Disclaimer: I do not own any familiar characters. They belong to the great J.K. Rowling. I do not make money off this, so please don't sue me! Trust me, it's not worth it!**

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Chapter 2

Things Are Finally Looking Up

During his breakfast, Harry respectfully asked his aunt to allow him to tag along when she took Dudley shopping that afternoon. She reluctantly agreed after they established that Harry had not stolen the money. He told them that Dumbledore had given it to him. He didn't want them to know that he had a small fortune sitting in Gringotts just yet. He was saving that news for the day he would leave this place and never have to come back. He hoped to Merlin that day would come soon.

He was surprised to note that he had actually enjoyed himself somewhat as he put away his purchases later in the evening. His aunt had surprisingly good taste and she enjoyed herself thoroughly, making Harry try on about thirty different outfits and convincing him to buy most of them. He also got a set of contacts because glasses would be a liability in a duel against Voldermort. The prophecy still weighed heavily on his mind. He knew he didn't need all the clothes but he let his aunt take control knowing that she wouldn't leave him in peace if he didn't.

When he finished putting his clothes away, he got out his half finished potions assignment about the uses of unicorn hairs. He was blowing the ink dry on the finished paper about two hours later when a handsome barn owl flew in and dropped a letter in his lap. It didn't wait for a reply before flying back into the night.

Harry saw the official Hogwarts seat on the letter and opened it quickly.

_Dear Mr. Potter, _

_I hope this letter finds you well. I'm sorry to say that I cannot give you permission to stay at the Burrow. It would put you and the Weasleys in unnecessary danger. I'm almost certain that you don't want to spend the rest of your summer with your relatives nor at headquarters, so I've decided that the only other option is for you to stay at Hogwarts. I hope you will be happy with this solution. Remus Lupin will pick you up tomorrow at five O' clock. Take care of your self and I will see you tomorrow at Hogwarts. _

_Sincerely, _

_Albus Dumbledore._

Harry could barely restrain himself from doing cartwheels. He was definitely happy with this solution. His summer was finally looking up!

At exactly five O'clock the next day, Remus Lupin swirled into the Dursley's living room, via portkey. The Dursleys were out for the day because they didn't want to be around when the 'freaks' arrived.

"Good evening Harry," he greeted cheerfully. "You ready to go?"

"Yes."

"Alright then, let's get out of here."

Harry grabbed hold of the broken tea cup that served as the portkey and immediately felt the familiar jerk behind his naval. He landed unceremoniously on the floor in the Gryffindor common room.

"I'll never get used to traveling like that," he said, mostly to himself.

Remus extended a hand and pulled him to his feet. Then they walked up to the sixth year boys dorms, and he helped him unpack.

"Thank you, Remus."

He smiled. "Anytime Harry. Now let's go down to dinner, though I must warn you that Severus is in a worse mood than usual."

"Why?"

"He thinks someone slipped something in his goblet at breakfast this morning and he thinks that person is me," he said trying to look innocent and wounded. "like it was my fault he professed his undying love for me and sang a tear jerker of a Spanish love song."

Harry's eyes widened in horror for a second before the humor of the situation hit him. He laughed, truly laughed, for the first time since Sirius died.

"So, what exactly did you slip him? I'd love to slip some to Malfoy."

"I didn't slip him anything; I hexed him when he wasn't paying attention. He actually thought Minerva pinched his bum."

He grimaced at the mental image before falling into another fit of hysterics. He finally got himself under control just as the reached the great hall.

With innocent looks plastered on their faces, they walked into the great hall.

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That's all folks! Another short chapter but I promise they'll get longer as the story moves along. Let me know what you think, or in other words, REVIEW!


	3. Overcoming Grief

**Disclaimer: I do not own any familiar characters. They belong to the great J.K. Rowling. I do not make money off this, so please don't sue me! Trust me, it's not worth it!**

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**Chapter 3**

**Overcoming Grief**

All the house tables were missing, leaving only the head table, where all the professors were currently sitting. Harry sat at the far left of the table, next to Remus. After a strained but polite greeting to all the professors, he was quite for the rest of the meal.

As he got up to leave the hall, he noticed Snape sniff the contents of his goblet suspiciously. Harry sat back down in his chair before being overcome by another fit of laughter. Beside him, Remus fought hard to keep a straight face but lost spectacularly as his own deep laugh rang through the hall.

Dumbledore chuckled softly, blue eyes twinkling merrily. "We're glad to see, Mr. Potter that recent events haven't completely robbed you of your sense of humor, and it's so wonderful to hear Remus laugh again."

"Speak for yourself Headmaster," Snape sneered, glaring at them. If looks could kill, Snape would have saved Voldermort the trouble.

Harry just ignored Snape and kept on laughing. It wasn't often that he got the opportunity to laugh at the snarky professor without getting into trouble. Remus noticed Snape's hand twitching to reach for his wand and decided to save Harry from getting hexed beyond recognition.

"Come on Harry, I'll teach you how to play chess."

"Hey! I know how to play chess!" he replied with mock indignation.

Remus chuckled. "Let me rephrase that. I'll teach you how to actually win a game of chess."

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They sat comfortably in the Gryffindor common room playing chess and enjoying each others company. After seven games, Harry finally thought he was going to win, but Remus was once again one step ahead of him.

"Ahhh…I give up! I'm never gonna beat you."

"Of course you're not Harry! The only person that ever beat me at chess was your mother, but now I'm sure you can hold your own against your friends."

"Even Ron?"

"Ah yes, Ron is quite good. I had a game with him last summer... He had a few tricks up his sleeve but I still beat him," he said wistfully. "Sirius followed me around for the rest of the day teasing me about picking on kids."

Harry smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. His eyes looked haunted.

Remus sighed sadly. "How are really doing Harry, and please don't lie to me."

"I'm fine Remus," was his automatic reply.

"Then you're a lot stronger than I am," he said tiredly.

Harry looked at him, really looked at him and saw what the rest of the world didn't. Remus always looked so composed and in control that Harry never thought that anything could really faze him. But now, he saw the man behind the mask. The mask that covered all the pain and sorrow that came from the death of his best friends; from being the last of the marauders.

It was Harry's turn to sigh as he came to a decision. "I'll talk about it if you will."

"Okay."

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Harry began. "I miss him Remus... I miss him a lot. I started writing a letter to him last week to tell him how much better the Dursleys were treating me, but then I remembered that he's gone and he's never coming back. And it hurts; more than anything Voldermort or anyone else has ever thrown at me…Merlin, not even the Cruciatus Curse hurt this much... I know that I didn't know him that long and we didn't spend a lot of time together but he was the... the closest thing to a father that I've ever known, and I killed him Remus.."

"Harry, Sirius' death wasn't..."

"I may not have pushed him behind the veil but it is my fault that he was there that night. It was because I didn't practice my Occlumency that Voldermort was able to send me that false vision. It was because of my damn 'hero complex' that he's dead, so don't tell me it wasn't my fault because deep down you know it was my fault."

Harry's voice was so thick with pain and emotion that it broke the werewolf's heart. "Harry, I know it's hard but you have to let go of this guilt you're carrying around. IT WAS NOT YOUR FAULT!"

"But-"

"No buts Harry. It was Voldermort's fault and it was Bellatrix's fault, but it was NOT your fault. Harry, you have to stop torturing yourself."

"But my dreams...well they're more like nightmares but-"

"Let me guess, Sirius blames you for his death in these nightmares."

Harry was fighting to keep the tears that filled his eyes and clouded his vision from falling. "Yes. How did you know?"

"I get them too, but not just of Sirius... if only I could be so lucky... no, I have nightmares about your parents too. I even used to get them about Peter when I thought he was dead. They all blamed me for their death. They still do, except for Peter and when he dies, he'll have reason to blame me for it."

"Remus, I don't want you to go to Azkaban because of that rat," he pleaded.

"Save your breath Harry," he said wearily. "I have nothing left to lose."

Remus words hurt him deeply and it was all he could do from breaking down. "Well, it's nice to know that I'm nothing to you."

"What are you talking about Harry?" he asked, concerned.

"Dammit Remus, didn't you hear a thing I said?" Harry snapped, finally losing the battle against his tears. "You might have nothing left to lose but I stand to lose everything."

"Wha-"

He broke down. "You Remus, I would lose you. You're my last connection to my parents and Sirius. You're all I've got left. I know I've still got the Weasleys and Hermione, but it's not the same. We're both alone in this world now."

It broke his heart to see the boy that he considered his own cub so lost. "Come here cub," he said gathering a sobbing Harry into his arms. He too had tears in his eyes. "I promise you Harry, I will never leave you alone in this world."

Harry continued to cry his heart out, finally letting out all the pain, anger, desperation and frustration of the last few weeks. His voice was watery and muffled against Remus' shoulder when he finally spoke. "Don't make me any promises that you can't keep Moony."

"I haven't yet."

They pulled apart a few moments later and wiped their tears, unashamed in each other's presence.

"Aren't we a pair of sob sisters," Harry joked.

Remus smiled. "Too true. Come on Bambi, let's go cheer ourselves up."

"Where are we going, and _what_ did you just call me?"

"We're going to raid the kitchen, and to answer your other question, I called you Bambi. You see, when you were born, all the marauders gave you a nickname. Sirius called you lil' prongs, your father called you pronglet, and I called you Bambi." (A/N: I don't acknowledge Peter as a marauder)

They got up and left the common room. "Don't ever, _ever _call me that in public."

"Harry, you wound me!" he said clutching his heart dramatically. "Don't tell me that you're embarrassed by your marauder given name."

Harry looked at him incredulously. "Of course I am! Can you imagine if Malfoy ever found out? I'd never live it down!"

"Alright Harry, it'll be our little secret. A nickname between the two of us until we find out what your animagus form is. A code between two loners; A password to comfort each other; A-"

"Alright Moony, I get it!" Harry laughed.

"Good, now let's go bother the house elves for a late night snack."

The two newly light hearted marauders made it down to the kitchens, unaware that they were being watched by a wise old bumblebee.

"This development will make things much easier," he said to himself.

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	4. The Plan

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry or any of the other characters that you are familiar with. If I did, there would be no house rivalries and Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter would be friends.

(IMPORTANT!) A/N: I'm thinking about adding some mild, extremely mild, almost unrecognizable slash to this story. Let me know if you think I should or not, because right now I'm completely undecided. If I do, it will NOT be Harry/Remus.

This chapter is dedicated to **steveperrysgirl**. Thank you for the awesome review! I can't tell you how great it made me feel! You made my entire day and I luv ya for it!

I got ten reviews for the last chapter, so I got this one out a lot quicker. Reviews motivate me so keep em coming!

Now, without further delay, back to the story! ENJOY!

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**Chapter 4 **

**The Plan**

The next day, Harry didn't make it down to the great hall until lunch time.

"I see you finally decided to get off your lazy arse and grace us with your presence," Remus teased.

Harry sat down next to the grinning werewolf. "Shut up Moony," he said irritably. "You're the one who kept me up all night talking about the marauders' glory days."

Remus just grinned and stuck his tongue out at him. Harry returned the gesture.

Snape sneered at them. "Between the both of you, you possess the maturity of a new born flobberworm."

Harry and Remus stuck their tongues out of him simultaneously.

"Brats," he growled, returning to his meal.

As they were finishing their meal, Dumbledore got their attention. "Harry, I would like to see you in my office when you're done here. You too Remus, if you're not busy."

They both nodded.

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"Do you know what this is about?" Harry asked as they made their way to Dumbledore's office.

"No idea. Cockroach Clusters."

The gargoyle guarding the entrance moved aside. They climbed the stairs and Remus knocked on the door.

"Come in."

They entered and sat down at Dumbledore's request. "Can I tempt you with a lemon drop? Or perhaps some tea?"

Harry declined both, but Remus accepted the tea.

"What is this about Professor?"

"Harry, I have called you here today to ask you to do something that I dearly wish I didn't have to," he began solemnly, his trademark twinkle missing from his eyes. "But you deserve an explanation first. Please try not to interrupt as that would make this so much more difficult."

Harry nodded. Dumbledore's uncharacteristic seriousness made him very curious.

Dumbledore took a deep breath before he began. "You see Harry, when I sent you that letter inviting you to spend the summer here, my motives were as I said in my letter. But later that same day, I had Professor Trelawney in here to make arrangements for the Divination classes this year. As we were speaking, Sibyll had a vision. She was so shaken up about it that she couldn't speak so I extracted the vision from her mind and placed in my pensieve. It's not worth me showing it to you because the only important scene is about five seconds long."

"What did she see Albus?"

"The scene was on the Hogwarts grounds. It was dark, and both the castle and the grounds were covered in snow and there was a severe blizzard that made it almost impossible to see. There was a loud explosion and suddenly the dark mark appeared in the sky and illuminated the night. The blizzard calmed down a little and I saw the most terrible army that I have ever seen these many years of my life."

Harry was confused because Dumbledore couldn't have meant what he thought he did. "Exactly what are you trying to say sir?"

"I'm saying that Voldemort is planning to wage a massive assault on the castle sometime during the Christmas season," he stated clearly. "From what I could tell, it will be a surprise attack and with the number of followers he had with him, Hogwarts will fall."

"Are you sure about this Albus?"

"Yes Remus, I am positive. He is pulling out all the stops for this one attack. Dementors, Vampires, Dark Elves, Giants, and even some demons. If his attack succeeds, he will be unstoppable. Fear not though; this vision has given me the most vital piece of information that could end this war before it properly begins."

Harry furrowed his brow. "Em...Professor, how is Voldemort attacking the castle a good thing?"

"Ah, your question brings us back to my question for you. Harry, I have to ask you to complete your sixth year course work and pass your exams in each of your classes before the end of the summer."

"What!" both Harry and Remus chorused.

Dumbledore's annoying cheerfulness, that had been absent through most of the conversation, returned tenfold. His eyes were twinkling like crazy when he said, "You heard me, and it's not quite as impossible as you might think. All it takes is an illegal time turner, a lot of hard-work, and very little sleep."

Remus looked as though _he_ had just received a crucial piece of evidence that proved once and for all that the headmaster truly was insane. "Why? What does Harry's school work have to do with Voldemort attacking Hogwarts?"

"My plan is simple. When Voldemort attacks Hogwarts, I want Harry to be ready to face him and beat him."

"If I wasn't convinced that you were insane before, I am now," Remus mumbled.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Your teachers have all been informed and they are all aware of the situation. If you do happen to complete the course work, you will be appointed the position of Advanced Dueling Professor. It is a class that I have developed specifically for this purpose and is only open for fifth years and up. The class will meet three days a week, after dinner. You will have the rest of your schedule free and during this spare time, I will train you in rigorously in preparation for Voldemort.

"I don't know how to tell you this sir, but it's going to take a lot more than a few months of training, no offense to you, to get my magic up to a high enough level to actually defeat Voldemort. I mean if he is bold enough to attack the castle, he must be a lot stronger than he was before," Harry argued.

That damned annoying twinkle remained as the old man replied with a mysterious smile. "My sources do tell me that Voldemort is getting stronger."

"Then how do you expect me to ever beat him?" Harry cried, ready to pull out his hair in frustration.

"You don't give yourself enough credit Harry, but either way your magic is going to be getting a little help; we'll get into that when the time comes. Right now, I need to know if you're willing to do this. You are under no obligation to do this and if you refuse, your mind will be wiped clean of this whole conversation. What is your answer Harry?"

Harry barely had to think about it. The prophesy had been weighing heavily on his mind all summer and if Dumbledore was offering him a chance to end it all before the people he care about could get hurt, then he gladly take it. "I don't exactly understand this plan of yours, but I trust you sir." He took a shaky breath before he continued. "I will do my part sir, no matter what it entails."

At that moment, the two men in the room had never been more proud of him.

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That's all for now FOLKS! Liked it? Loved it? Hated it? Please review and let me know. I can't change anything if I don't have some feedback, so Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseeeeeeeeeee REVIEW!

Thanks to all of you who read the last chapter, I really appreciate it!

**A special thank you to my reviewers: hermione1smart1, Sparky-do, SiriusRulz14, Lady Prongs of Rohan, TomTom21, Brilover, andrea10 (I love ya), and Serpentiana. You guys make it easier to keep writing this story. THANKYOU ALL!**

The next chapter should be up soon, but lots of reviews will definitely convince me to get it out a lot faster (wink wink!)


	5. Hectic Summer

OMG! I am sooooooooooooo sorry for the long delay. I just started uni and I'm completely swamped. I'm a biology premed major and I'm taking 17 credit hours. I'm taking advanced Calculus, Biology, Chemistry, and speech. I didn't abandon this story and I don't plan to, so please bear with me! I'll try to update more often!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry or any of the other characters that you are familiar with. If I did, there would be no house rivalries and Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter would be friends or more (wink! wink!).

**(IMPORTANT!) A/N: I'm thinking about adding some mild, extremely mild, almost unrecognizable slash to this story. Let me know if you think I should or not, because right now I'm completely undecided. If I do, it will NOT be Harry/Remus. **

**I really need some input on this so PLEASE let me know!**

This chapter is dedicated to** LunaShadow**, who was the only person to give me feedback in regards to the slash issue. Thanks, I really appreciate it!

Anyway, back to the story! ENJOY!

_Last Chapter:_

_Harry barely had to think about it. "I don't exactly understand this plan of yours, but I trust you sir." He took a shaky breath before he continued. "I will do my part sir, no matter what it entails."_

**Chapter Five **

**Hectic Summer**

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_Here are the results of you Ordinary Wizarding Levels (OWLS) :_

_Defense Against the Dark Arts – Above Outstanding_

_Transfiguration - Outstanding_

_Charms – Outstanding_

_Herbology – Outstanding_

_Divination – Poor_

_Astronomy – Acceptable_

_Care Of Magical Creatures – Outstanding_

_History of Magic – Poor_

_Potions – Outstanding_

_This makes a total of 11 OWLS respectably. You are free to pursue you chosen career as an Auror. Congratulations,_

_Yours truly,_

_Mariam Cobblepot_

_Ministry of Magic – Department of Education _

Professor Dumbledore came up with a schedule for him based on his OWL scores. He had seven subjects to complete, and one week for each of them. Before he started his classes though, Professor Dumbledore took two full days to properly teach him Occlumency. He could now block any attack to his mind without even having to think about it. After that, Remus had crammed a full year of DADA into one grueling week of alternating theory and practical work. Even though it was tough, Harry greatly enjoyed it because it gave him a chance to spend some more time with Remus. He knew Remus couldn't replace Sirius, but he felt in his heart that Remus would always be there for him, just like Sirius had been. He passed the DADA exam with an outstanding. If fact he also passed Transfigurations, Charms, and History of Magic with Outsandings. He opted to drop Astronomy and Divination to take Magical Medicine with Madam Pomfrey and Spell Writing with Dumbledore. He got Outstandings in both courses as well. With nothing to distract him, he found that he could understand the material a lot better and actually enjoyed learning new things and studying.

... present time...

Harry was sitting the library working on a two foot essay on the uses of basilisk scales in poisons. It was 2:30 in the morning and he still had two more essays to complete for Snape, due the next day. By some miracle, he had actually managed to get into NEWT Level Potions and so far, it was proving to be the most challenging class he had ever had. He really should have been done with the essays hours ago but he couldn't concentrate. Remus had gone off on a mission for the order about a month ago and had promised to write Harry, but he hadn't. He couldn't shake the feeling that something had happened to him. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a clock chime 3:00AM in the distance. He turned his thoughts back to his potions essays, rationalizing to himself that Remus could take care of himself. Besides, he had a Potions final the next day and he was certain that Snape would make it as difficult as he possibly could. So he cleared his mind everything but potions and got back to work.

Breakfast the next day was a silent affair, at least on Harry's part. One reason was that he was tired from lack of sleep and the other was that he was nervous about his Potions exam. He played with his food for a while before he got up and made his way to the dungeon. The other professors wished him good luck on his way out. He entered the potions classroom and placed his completed essays on Snape's desk. Snape himself wasn't there yet so he sat down to wait.

About five minutes later, Snape swept into the room silently. He placed a stack of parchment in front of Harry.

"When you've answered all those questions as thoroughly as you possibly can, you will hand them in and then make an Amplification Potion. I'm sure even you Potter can understand such simple instructions," he sneered.

"Yes sir, I understand," Harry answered, refusing to let Snape get a rise out of him.

"You may begin."

Three and a half hours later, Harry walked out of potions with a smile on his face. He was confident that he had passed, and Potions was the last class he had to take. He had successfully completed his sixth year, with two days to spare before the students returned. He walked out onto the grounds and sat by the lake. It looked really beautiful with the sunlight reflecting off it. He lay down on his back and looked for shapes in the clouds. He had almost fallen asleep when a shadow fell across his face. He opened his eyes and saw fire. He sat up quickly turned to see the person who had intruded on his quiet time. It was a girl that looked to be about a first year and the fire he had seen was only her hair. It was a fire red, even more striking than Weasley red. And she had large expressive hazel eyes.

"Who are you?" Harry asked eying her suspiciously.

"I'm Arianna Aurora Dumbledore, but you can call me Ari," she said with a big smile.

Harry couldn't help but smile back, her smile was infectious. He found himself drawn to her because if he had a sister, she would probably resemble Arianna. (AN: She would inherit Lily's red hair and James' eyes.)

"It's very nice to meet you Ari, I'm Harry James Potter," he replied extending a hand to her.

She shook his hand and sat down next to him. "I know who you are because grandpa talks about you when he comes to visit."

"So Professor Dumbledore is your grandfather?" He asked.

"Grandpa Al is more like my granduncle, but it's the same difference. Grandpa Abe is my actual grandfather," she said thoughtfully. "Did that make sense?"

"Surprisingly, it does," Harry laughed. "So what are you doing here, if you don't mind my asking?"

"I'm starting Hogwarts this year and my parents had to go to the states unexpectedly, so I got to come to school early," she explained. "So what are _you_ doing here?"

"The short version is that Professor Dumbledore was one teacher short and needed me to fill the spot, so here I am." Harry explained.

"What's the long version?" she asked curiously.

"It's way too complicated to tell right now, but if you ask me again some other time, I'll tell you," he answered.

They sat in silence for a minute before Harry's stomach made its hunger known with its loud grumbling.

Arianna giggled. "Someone's hungry."

Harry got up and pulled her up after him. "Well, I didn't eat much at breakfast, and I skipped lunch. What do you expect?"

"In that case, lead the way milord," she said dramatically.

Harry laughed and offered her his arm and she looped her smaller one through his. "This way, milady."

There you have it folks! I know it sucks but I had to get this out before I could get to the good stuff! Again, I apologize for the delay and i'm sorry for any grammar errors. i just wanted to get this out as fast as possible. You all know I'm a whore for reviews so please **REVIEW**. I don't care if it's good or bad, I can take it!

**Thanks to all the people who have read this story and to all those who have reviewed. I really appreciate it!**

**A special thanks to:**

**SiriusRulz14, Night Daughter, Basketball-football-Chick, andrea10(luv ya!), Marine Aquastar, Foxglove-Faery, Hermione1Smart1, and rosiegirl. Thankyou all soooo much! I LOVE YOU ALL!**

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	6. Happy Belated Birthday!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry or any of the other characters that you are familiar with. If I did, there would be no house rivalries and Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter would be friends or more (wink! wink!).

**(REALLY REALLY REALLY IMPORTANT!!) A/N: I've decided to add slash of the H/D variety, but its so slight, you might not even notice its there. This will not turn into an epic love story or something of the sort. The story's main focus is Harry and what he goes through. The only reason there I'm putting slash in this story is as a setup for the sequel I'm planning. So for those of you who voted against slash, you really don't have to worry about it in this fic. Like I said before, it's so miniscule you probably won't realize its there. Thank you all for your input. It was greatly appreciated. **

This chapter is dedicated to **youngandhopeless1** for the wonderful and long review!! Thanks for your extremely kind words. I couldn't stop smiling the whole day after I read it, so thank you very much.

And now, back to our story...

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**Chapter 6**

**Happy Belated Birthday!**

Harry and Arianna entered the Great Hall to find it completely empty except for madam Pomfrey.

"Good evening," Harry greeted with a small smile.

"Good evening Harry," she replied, looking at Arianna curiously. "And this beautiful young lady must be Arianna. Albus mentioned that we would be seeing you around. I'm Madam Pomfrey, the school healer."

"It's very nice to meet you ma'am," she said shyly, trying to hide behind Harry.

Harry turned his head sideways and looked down at the red head. She only came up to his elbow, so all he saw was the top of her head. He was surprised that she was so shy around Madam Pomfrey when she was so forward and apparently comfortable around him.

Madam Pomfrey smiled fondly at them, before inviting them to join her. Arianna still refused to make eye contact with her as she sat down at the teachers table beside Harry, who sat beside Madam Pomfrey on her left.

"Where is everyone?" Harry asked as dinner suddenly appeared on his plate. He heard Arianna gasp beside him and chuckled slightly. She smacked him on the arm playfully and stuck her tongue out at him before turning back to her plate.

Harry chuckled again and so did Madam Pomfrey.

"Albus called a staff meeting a few hours ago and they've been missing ever since," she replied. "Its times like this I'm glad I don't have to go to those meetings."

"Why don't you have to go?"

"Well, because I'm technically not a member of the staff. Albus Dumbledore might be the most powerful wizard our world has seen in the last five centuries, but he has no authority in my ward. He learned that he hard way in my first year working here."

"I have no doubt that he learned his lesson well," Harry said, amused. "No offense, but you can be downright scary when you want to be."

"I'll take that as a compliment Harry," she laughed.

"It figures yo...." he started to reply but stopped when Arianna jumped out of her seat.

"Grandpa!" she squealed before she launched herself at Dumbledore, who had just entered with the rest of the teachers.

"Hello my child," Dumbledore said with a brighter than usual twinkle in his eyes as he enthusiastically hugged he back. "Were you able to entertain yourself while I was occupied?"

"Oh yes, Harry and I had a lot of fun, didn't we Harry?"

Harry nodded.

"I see you've met my grand-daughter Harry," he said as he sat down. "I hope she wasn't a bother."

"Not at all sir," Harry smiled.

"By the way Harry, I have a letter for you," Dumbledore said, handing him a folded up piece of parchment.

He immediately recognized Remus' handwriting and excused himself from the table.

He left the castle and went to a spot by the lake where Remus used to sit with him and comfort him after he'd had a nightmare and needed fresh air.

Harry's face fell in disappointment when he opened the letter. He had expected a long letter since he hadn't seen Remus in close to a month and a half, but there were only three words written on the parchment.

'_Look behind you.'_

His brow creased in confusion at the odd message, but he turned around anyway.

"Remus!" he exclaimed as he launched himself at the werewolf in the same way Arianna had greeted her grandfather.

"Hey Bambi," Remus laughed, as he lifted Harry clear off the ground in a bone crushing hug. "Did you miss me?"

"What do you think, Moony? Why didn't you write, I was worried sick about you."

"I can tell Harry," Remus said, his voice tinted with concern. "You don't look so good. Have you been taking care of yourself?"

"I've been kind of busy. You know, cramming a whole year of advanced classes into seven weeks. I haven't had time for anything but studying," he replied dryly. "Besides I've grown a few inches since you left."

"I can tell. You're almost as tall as I am, I'd say you're about 5'11'' now," he said thoughtfully. "I'm sorry I wasn't here to help you with all your work."

Harry smiled. "It's alright Moony; I know you would have stayed if you could."

"Well, I'm here now and we are going to fatten you up!" Remus declared.

"Good luck, it's very easy for me to lose weight but damn near impossible for me to gain it back." he laughed. "Besides, you don't look all that well yourself. In fact, you look a hot mess." (AN: Sorry guys, couldn't help myself. It's my favorite phrase. Please, don't hurt me!)

"Gee thanks Harry, you really know how to make a guy feel good about himself," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Would you prefer if I lied to you?" Harry asked innocently.

"Yes!"

"Sorry, but the Gryffindor in me won't allow me to lie," he said solemnly. "Or is it the Slytherin in me? I'm not sure."

Remus smiled fondly. "Brat."

"How long are you staying?"

"Until I take you to the platform in a few days."

"Why do I have to take the train when I'm already here?"

"No one knows you're here except the staff and some members of the order," the werewolf replied. "Everyone else thinks you're still at the Dursleys and Professor Dumbledore won't let you leave. Therefore you have to take the train people won't get suspicious."

"Why can't people know that I'm here if I'm going to be a professor?"

Remus shrugged. "I'm not exactly sure. You'll have to ask him yourself. Which reminds me, I have your birthday presents from the Weasleys and Hermione inside."

"Well come on then, I want to open my presents," Harry said excitedly.

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They settled down in front of the common room fire to open Harry's belated birthday presents. It was quite a large pile so he just grabbed the first one he could reach. It was from Ron according to the small note attached to it. It was a fairly large box and it was full to the brim with a large assortment of Honeydukes candy. The next package was from Hermione and he could tell just by looking at it that it was some sort of book. He opened it and found that it was a leather bound journal with gold stitching and a gold buckle. Harry opened the letter that was attached to it. 

_Dear Harry,_

_**HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!** I hope the Dursleys are treating you alright, and I'm sorry you have to spend your sixteenth birthday with them. **Yeah mate, I don't know what Dumbledore's thinking making you stay there, but he won't budge on it. **That was Ron by the way; we thought it would be better to just write one letter together. **She means 'she' thought it would be better**. Oh shut up Ronald! Anyway Harry, I thought this journal would be useful to get out your feelings since there's no one you can talk to. I hope you like it and I hope you use it. **Well, enough of that serious talk. I hope you stuff your face and rot your teeth. I can't wait for quidditch this year. I bet you'll be captain. And I got a new broom and....ouch!!! **You can thank me later for saving you from his inane prattle. I got 13 OWLs by the way. My parents were so proud. Ronald only got 7 OWLs, although we both got an Outstanding in DADA thanks to you. **Awh Hermione, Harry doesn't obsess about his grades like you do. I bet he did about the same as me. **Enjoy the rest of your summer Harry and we'll see you September 1st._

_Love, _

_Hermione....**and Ron.**_

Harry laughed for a few minutes before he calmed down enough to open the rest of his presents. He hadn't realized how much he missed his friends until he read the letter. Suddenly, he couldn't wait 'til September first to see them again.

The next present package was multicolored and had WWW stamped on it. He instantly knew it was from Fred and George. The box contained an every thing they had ever created; some of them he already knew and some he didn't. He also received the customary care package from Mrs. Weasley. The next thing was a small envelope that had Happy Birthday written on it in big loopy letters. Inside the envelope was a gift certificate for Honeydukes for a lifetime supply of candy. The present was from Dumbledore. Finally, there were only two presents left.

Harry had a fairly good idea what was in one of them, having received two of them already in his Hogwarts career, so he decided to save it for last and instead chose the smaller package. It was from Remus.

"What is it?" Harry asked looking at the package.

"Open it and find out," Remus replied somewhat nervously.

Harry opened the package and gasped at what he saw. Inside was a beautiful silver cross with an emerald set in the center of it. It had intricate designs carved into it and had a subtle glow in the fire light. The emerald was also beautiful but not flashy and did not take away from the overall exquisiteness of the necklace. (AN: Is exquisiteness even a word?)

"My God, where did you get this Remus? It looks almost otherworldly, it's so beautiful."

"My assignment for the order just so happened to take me to see an old friend of mine that is an excellent craftsman, and I had him create them for me."

"Well, I love it. Thank.... Wait a minute, did you say 'them'?"

Remus laughed and pulled out a similar necklace from inside his shirt. The only difference was that instead if an emerald in the center, it had an amber gem.

"It's not just a piece if jewelry Harry, it has protection spells on it. One stone will glow when the one wearing the other is in danger. It also serves as a portkey that will transport you to me and vice versa, but use it only as a last resort. The activating word for yours is Moony, and mine is Bambi."

Harry hugged Remus for the second time that evening. He was extremely touched by the gift and he told him so.

All that was left to open was the familiar long slender package, although he couldn't figure out who would send him one. He read the little note attached to it.

_Happy Birthday Harry_

_Love, Snuffles_

"If this is some kind of joke Remus, I don't think it's funny at all," he said, voice choked with raw emotion. "It's actually quite cruel."

"Bambi, I would never do anything to hurt you," Remus said softly. "Sirius was going to give this to you for your sweet sixteen. He was so excited about it and he had Dumbledore pull so many strings and he shelled out an insane amount of money for it. He already had it wrapped and every thing. I thought it was only fair for you to get it, even though he's not here to give it to you."

Harry's hands were still shaking as he opened the package. What he unveiled truly took his breath away. It was the most magnificent broom he had ever seen. The handle was a sleek, elegant emerald green, with _Emerald Lightning _written in gold near the top of it. The tail was attached to the handle by a crystal ring that cast a beautiful array of colors when the light hit it just right. The tail itself was long with neat gold twigs.

"I've never heard of this broom before," Harry said, not daring to take his eyes off it for fear that it would disappear.

"This broom isn't out on the market Harry, nor will it ever be," he replied. "Sirius went through great lengths to get it custom made for you. It's the only one of its kind, and from what Sirius told me about it, it makes the Firebolt look like a child's training broom."

"Umbridge confiscated my broom last year," he said distractedly.

"I know, but Dumbledore got it back for you. I guess he hasn't had to return it to you yet."

"It's really too bad that 'teachers' can't play quidditch," Harry laughed. "I would have loved to play on it against Slytherin."

"What about the other teams?"

Harry smirked. "No competition."

Remus smirked back and arched an eyebrow. "Aren't we a little cocky?"

"It would be cocky if I couldn't back it up, but we both know that I can."

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Ok, that SUCKED!!! But that's just my opinion. I would really like your opinion whether it's Good? Bad? Ugly? Please review and let me know, because your reviews are my life's blood! Actually, coffee is my life's blood but review anyway: ) 

OMG, that was a lot longer than I expected it to be, and I didn't even get everything I wanted in it. This was supposed to be the last chapter before the start of term, but there's going to be one more. I'm sorry! But hey, it's longer than any of my previous chapters so you should all be happy!

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read this story and a special thank you to my wonderful reviewers. Your kind words give me that sharp kick in the butt that makes me make time to update. I love you all!!!

**A special thanks to:**

**Kjady, Sirius' son, QueenWeasel, SiriusRulz14, LunaShadows, wolfawaken, pad's gurl584, The Best witch of all, Indigo Feline, MinorMistake99, Gabwr, andrea10, Gryphon's wing, and Maiden-of-hope. **

To all of you who wanted to see more of Ari, trust me, you will be.

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Chapter 7 teaser: 

Diagon Alley

New DADA teacher

Sirius' Will

Tying up loose ends.

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Bear hugs and Eskimo kisses, 

Ava.


	7. The Performance of a Lifetime

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry or any of the other characters that you are familiar with.

**HAPPY NEW YEAR!** Ava knows she has been a very author, but Ava has been busy with school and the holidays. Ava is very sorry, and Ava is wondering why she is referring to herself in third person. Anyway, let's get on with the story shall we?

This chapter is dedicated to** fischergirl **for being lucky reviewer number 50!! Thank you so much for taking the time to review, and I hope you like your prize. This chapter is also dedicated to** Sharivari** because your review was a much needed boost to my ego. Thank you and I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you did the previous ones.

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**Chapter 7**

**The Performance of a Lifetime**

Harry woke up quite late the next morning. He showered and hurried down to the great hall in hopes of catching the last few minutes of breakfast. The only other people in the hall when he entered were Dumbledore and Remus, and they looked to be having a heated conversation. Harry hovered by the door out of sight and listened. He knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, but he was curious.

"Albus, I was gone for over a month and you didn't find the time to tell him?" the usually calm werewolf snapped. "You know you're already on shaky ground with him, but he was willing to take a chance with you and this crazy scheme of yours. If he finds out about it from some badly written article in the Daily Prophet, he will never forgive you and quite frankly, neither will I."

Dumbledore sighed sadly. "Remus my boy, its not that I don't want to tell him, because I truly do, but I had no way of knowing how he would react. Furthermore, I didn't want to distract him from his studies."

"That's a pile of dragon dung Albus and you know it. You need to start Harry telling about the things that have an impact on his life, otherwise he will never trust you and you'll have no one to blame but yourself."

"I understand what you're saying but…." The old man started to explain, but he was interrupted as the doors of the great hall burst open forcefully.

…..

Harry had been standing at the door listening to Remus and Dumbledore argue about him. On one hand, he was happy to here Remus call Dumbledore out on his behalf, but he was furious to hear that Dumbledore was once again keeping things from him. Finally tired of listening to Dumbledore trying to make excuses, he made his presence known.

"What have you been keeping from me this time professor?" He asked, his voice colder that a witch's tit in a brass bra on Halloween night. (A/N: A friend of mine just used that phrase to describe my cold hands and I think it's hilarious.)

Both Remus and Dumbledore started and turned sharply towards Harry.

"Harry, my boy, I didn't notice your arrival," Dumbledore commented, as though he hadn't heard Harry's accusation.

"Obviously, otherwise I wouldn't have overheard your interesting conversation."

"How much did you overhear?" Remus asked with a slight smile.

Harry sighed. "Enough to now that Professor Dumbledore is once again keeping things from me."

"Now Harry, I wasn't keeping anything from you," Dumbledore insisted. "I just didn't want to burden you while you were already so busy."

"Well, I'm not busy anymore. What is this about?"

"Your godfather, before he died, wrote a will just in case something ever happened to him."

"He was ready to die," Harry gasped.

"Yes Harry, he was," Remus replied even though Harry's comment was a statement rather than a question.

"Alright, what does Sirius' will have to do with me?" Harry asked, pulling himself together.

Dumbledore chuckled lightly. "It has everything to do with you my boy because he left almost everything to you."

"What?"

"You Mr. Potter are now the owner of five of the Black estates scattered across Europe, and the contents of the Black family vault," he said with that annoying twinkle working overtime. "Why do you look so surprised Harry? Certainly you didn't think your godfather would leave you with nothing."

Harry remained quiet. Whether it was from shock or sadness, neither of the other men could tell. When he finally spoke, his voice was slightly strained.

"I thought he would leave it to Remus or the order or to charity. To be quite honest, I didn't even think about it."

"He left Grimmauld Place to the order; he left quite a considerable sum to the Weasleys including a separate sum for Ron and an investment in Weasleys Wizard Wheezes for the twins. He also left some money to Ms. Granger and his favorite cousin Nymphadora Tonks. The contents of his personal vault and a manor in Ireland now belong to Remus."

To say Harry was shocked would be a gross understatement. "This is insane! I knew Sirius was wealthy but this is… this is unbelievable!"

"Sinfully wealthy is how Sirius referred to it," Remus commented. "As amazed as you are Harry, Albus still hasn't told you the best part."

"There's more!" Harry gaped. "I don't think I can handle anymore news."

Remus smirked. "I never would have pegged you for a drama queen Harry."

"And I never would have pegged you for a smart ass Remus," he smirked back.

"Touché," Remus laughed. "Now do you want to know how it gets better or not?"

"You may proceed," Harry said haughtily.

Remus rolled his eyes. "You're too kind. Now as I was saying before, the best part of this for you is that you have access to the Black family vault as of a month ago, unlike the Potter family vault."

Harry frowned. "What about my vault?"

"You can't touch it until your 21st birthday."

'If I live that long,' he almost said, but he caught himself in time. "I've been getting money out of that vault since I was eleven."

Remus looked confused for a moment before his eyes widened in realization and disbelief. He turned he turned to Dumbledore, eyes full of anger and accusation. "Albus, please tell me you didn't keep this from him too."

"Actually, Sirius wanted to be the bearer of that information," Dumbledore said, meeting Remus' furious gaze. "I was under the impression that Harry had already been informed last summer."

"Once again I'm confused," Harry declared.

"The vault you are currently using is your parent's personal vault, not the family vault," Dumbledore explained. "The Potter line is a very prestigious one, in the same league as the Malfoys and the Blacks. In families such as these, each person has their won personal vault, but there is a main vault that holds the bulk of the family's wealth. Your parents went into hiding before a vault could be created for you, which is why you inherited their personal vault. Had a vault been created for you, the contents of your parents vault would have been transferred to the family vault. Since Sirius was the last of the Blacks, he had the right to leave the contents of the family vault to anyone he chose."

"So since I'm the last of the Potters, I can leave the family vault to anyone I chose?" Harry asked.

Remus smirked, eyes alight with mischief. "Yes, until you knock someone up and have a little bambi running around. Then you have no choice but to leave it to your child. As a matter of fact, the only reason Sirius had access to the family vault is because he was the last of the Blacks. Otherwise, I'm sure his parents would have rather given their money to perfect strangers rather than leave it to their own son. On a lighter note, should we be expecting that little bambi soon, or a little later on?"

Harry stomped hard on Remus' foot and blushed.

Remus and Dumbledore just laughed at his embarrassment.

…..

After breakfast, Remus, Harry, and Arianna flooed to Diagon alley to get their school supplies. The trip was uneventful for the most part. Remus forced Harry to get new glasses because he thought his old pair made him look like a quote 'geeky insecure child.' He completely ignored Harry's argument that he had contacts. Remus insisted that Harry just wouldn't be Harry without glasses. In the end Harry had to admit that his new glasses did suit him better than his old ones. They were stylish black-rimmed oval lenses that fit his face perfectly. After they had gotten everything, they stopped for an ice-cream at Arianna's insistence. It was as they were enjoying their treat that they were interrupted.

"You're Harry Potter, right?" came the unfamiliar voice.

The voice belonged to a woman that looked to be in her mid thirties. She was short compared to Harry in light of his recent growth spurt. She had a dark tan and shoulder length bleach blonde hair. She wore tight fitted purple dress robes that matched her eyes perfectly. She was very pretty, even though both Harry and Remus thought she wore way too much make-up.

Harry nodded.

"I thought you were," she said, more to herself than to him. "You look different from the last time I saw you in the paper. Yes, very different indeed." She said the last part while looking Harry up and down with a calculating, slightly hungry look in her eyes.

It was the hunger in her eyes that made Remus clear his throat and try to break the uncomfortable silence that had descended on that group. 'Try' being the operative word.

"Well..um…wh.." Remus stuttered.

"What our speech impaired friend here is trying to ask is 'Who the hell are you'" Arianna smirked.

"Ari!" Harry gasped, both shocked and highly amused at the same time. Her smirk reminded him of his rival, Draco Malfoy. At that moment, he wouldn't have been surprised if the sorting hat placed her in Slytherin.

Arianna just shrugged unapologetically.

"Thank you Arianna, though I was trying not to put it quite as bluntly as you did," Remus said seriously, even though it was obvious he was trying very hard to keep a straight face. Arianna also reminded him of someone, but not because of her smirk. Her unrepentant attitude reminded him of Sirius. Now he knew why he had taken an instant liking to her. The wolf inside him had sensed the similarities.

The woman's voice could have frozen the Atlantic when she spoke. "I am Serafina Knight, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts. Now, who the hell are _you_?" she spat.

Arianna just arched an eyebrow and replied coolly. "I am Arianna Aurora Dumbledore, a first year at Hogwarts."

Serafina's eyes widened slightly when she heard the last name, and she immediately plastered a fake smile on her face.

"Well then, I look forward to seeing you both at Hogwarts," she said sweetly. She eyed Harry hungrily once more before winking at him and adding, "Especially you Harry." Then she spun dramatically on her heel and walked away, seductively swaying her hips.

Harry face was doing a very good impression of a tomato, he was blushing so hard. Meanwhile, Remus and Arianna were almost falling out of their seats, they were laughing so hard.

"It's not funny," Harry whined as he banged his head on their table.

"You're right Harry, it's not funny," Remus started.

"It's bloody hilarious!" both Remus and Arianna chorused, laughing even harder than before.

Harry groaned pitifully and continued to bang his head on the table.

…..

They returned to Hogwarts for lunch, with Remus and Arianna still giggling occasionally. After lunch, Harry and Remus retreated to the Room of Requirement to prepare Harry for his classes. There was so much he wanted to learn himself, and so much he wanted to teach to his class. The room contained several books on dueling and DADA, all of which Harry eagerly devoured. The number one trend he noticed in the books was that the harder the spell, the more complicated the wand movement was. They put together a lesson plan, and familiarized Harry with the required text book, Components of Dueling by Abeforth Dumbledore. By the time Harry was convinced that he could perform all the spells and maneuvers mapped out in the book, it was close to midnight. They had skipped dinner, so they headed to the kitchens.

The next day consisted of Harry having practice duels against the teachers and getting his arse kicked repeatedly. By dinner time though, they were the ones getting their arses kicked. He kept getting better and kept improving his technique after every duel. Even Snape was impressed at how quickly and almost effortlessly Harry picked up proper dueling. Professor Dumbledore was the only one not to lose to Harry. The professor defeated him in one of their duels in under five seconds. Arianna had found this endlessly amusing, much to Harry's embarrassment. That evening, Dumbledore called Remus, Harry, Arianna, and all the teachers to his office for a last minute meeting.

They discussed lesson plans and made sure everyone was on the same page as far as 'the plan.'

"Remus will escort you to the station tomorrow, so as to maintain the impression that you spent the entire summer with your relatives," Dumbledore said to Harry. "As you are about to board the train, Professor Snape will appear on the platform via portkey insisting that you accompany him to Hogwarts immediately. You will do your best to appear like you have no idea what is going on, an…

"Harry won't need any acting skills to pull that off..OW!" Remus exclaimed as Harry cuffed him on the back of the head.

"Now, now children, play nicely," Snape said in icy disgust.

Remus glared at him. "You must really enjoy the sound of your own voice Severus, since it's quite obvious no one else wants to hear it."

"Gentlemen, do you need to be separated?" Dumbledore asked with just a hint of annoyance.

"Ignore them Albus," McGonagall sighed. "I'm beginning to think they fight for their own amusement rather than a genuine hatred for each other."

Dumbledore nodded. "Perhaps you are right Minerva. Now where was I… ah yes, Severus will fetch you, which also guarantees that no one will try to interrupt seeing as all the students are terrified of him."

Snape raised an inky eyebrow, but made no comment.

"When the other students arrive, Harry and I will make ourselves scarce and Madam Hooch will lead the first years. Professor McGonagall shall be acting headmistress and will oversee the feast. Our new DADA professor shall be arriving with the students. Harry and I shall remain scarce for the rest of the night and most of the following day until dinnertime. At that time, I will make an appearance and inform the students that signed up for Advanced Dueling that their professor has been delayed indefinitely and that they will be having a substitute until further notice. I shall refrain from telling them who their substitute will be. From then on Harry, you are free to handle everything that occurs as you see fit."

"I just have one question sir," Harry stated.

"What is it?"

"How am I supposed to keep all of this a secret? I know some of my housemates are clueless, but I'm positive Hermione will begin to suspect after a while."

"As a teacher, you are entitled to your own private quarters, so at least you will be able to avoid Miss Granger should she start to get suspicious."

Harry sighed heavily. In order for everything to run smoothly, he would essentially have to give up his friends. He would have to look them in the face and lie to them. He would have to give up quidditch. He wouldn't get beaten at chess by Ron, he wouldn't have Hermione nagging him to do his homework, he wouldn't hear Seamus and Dean argue about the pettiest thing, he wouldn't hear Neville's loud snores; he would miss everything. This final realization hit him hard. He wondered, not for the first time, if he could actually pull it off and keep his sanity. He was suddenly glad that Arianna was aware of the situation. He had grown to adore the sweet, sharp-witted redhead in the short time he'd known her. He felt the need to protect her, like an older brother would. He also knew he could always talk to her if he needed to, and vice versa.

Dumbledore looked at Harry sadly. Words could not fully express how sorry he felt for placing such a burden on the young man, but he had no choice. He almost wished that Harry had said no when he had first proposed the plan to him. Almost. "Harry, I know that I am asking a lot of you and for that I am truly sorry. I know this year will be very difficult on you because of this burden that I have placed on you. Once again, I am giving you the opportunity to back out. No one in this room would think any less of you, and your memory will be modified accordingly."

"I did not suffer a week of pure torture with Professor Snape just to back out now," Harry said passionately. "I do have a request though. If I happen to have any disciplinary problems, I would like the right to issue out detentions to be served with Professor Snape."

"Is that all right with you Severus?"

Snape smirked evilly. "It would be my pleasure."

"Are there any questions or comments?" Dumbledore asked. There were none. "In that case, everyone get a good night sleep because starting tomorrow, we shall all be putting on the performance of a lifetime."

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There you have it FOLKS! Liked it? Loved it? Loathed it? PLEASE review! I can take it!

I felt like this chapter was forced, but I do like the way it turned out. Once again it is longer than I originally planned, but I did manage to get everything that I wanted in. This means that next chapter, the students are back, and we'll probably get to see Harry's first class. Hopefully.

…..

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read this story and a special thank you to my wonderful reviewers. Your kind words give me that sharp kick in the butt that makes me make time to update. I love you all!!!

**A very special thank you to:**

**Kjady, QueenWeasel, youngandhopeless1, Melissa, kalayaanblues, and Angil 10. **I love you all and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Once again, **HAPPY NEW YEAR** to all of you and I wish you all the very best.

Bear hugs and Eskimo kisses,

Ava.


	8. Past the Point of no Return

Disclaimer: If you don't know that I'm NOT JKR by now, I doubt you've been reading my story. If you have been reading this story and still think I'm JKR, then I'm very flattered. I also don't own Youko Kurama or any other YYH characters.

I'm ALIVE! I'm so sorry guys! I really tried to get this up sooner but my course load has been torture this semester. I should be studying for my chemistry exam right now, but I'm writing this instead for my wonderful readers. I won't waste anymore of your time so without further ado, on with the Story!

This chapter is dedicated to **DuchessAndromeda and witchfire37 **for catching my mistake. I'll try to work a proper reason for it into the story, but if I can't think of anything, I'll go back and change it. Thanks for the awesome reviews and I hope you like this chapter too!

This story is not going to turn into a HP/YYH crossover. I just happen to LOVE Kurama. Oh, and Hiei might also make an appearance so be warned!

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**Chapter 8**

**Missing**

Harry was literally falling asleep in his breakfast on the morning of September 1st. He and Remus had stayed up almost the entire night decorating his new room.

Both his room and his classroom were located on the third floor in the corridor to the right. Although it was no longer forbidden for students to go there, people generally avoided the place. Harry's room was located at the third door on the right, protected by a portrait. The portrait was of gorgeous creature wearing white, with long silver hair; he also had silver fox ears and a fox tail. He was walking through a forest and was twirling a solitary red rose between his delicate fingers. Harry talked to him for a few minutes and found out his name was Kurama and that he was a fox demon. **(AN: I know…Shameless, but my best friend loves him and insisted I find a part for him. Besides, he's bloody gorgeous)**

"Plain" was the single word that ran through Harry's mind when he and Remus first entered his room. It was basically a large empty space, with a fair sized fireplace against one wall. There was a door that led to what Harry assumed would be his bedroom. There was no furniture except a huge bookcase that covered the entire far wall that was filled to the brim with highly advanced books on Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, and DADA, courtesy of Professor Dumbledore. The room had a high ceiling and large windows with an excellent view of the lake.

Remus and Harry had spent over an hour conjuring things from thin air to decorate the 'common room' to Harry's taste. The floor was covered in plush black carpet that was charmed not to wear down due to traffic. The walls were beige and they made the fireplace black marble. There was a large beige leather couch in front of the fireplace and two wing backed armchairs. A low glass coffee table sat in the middle of the couch and chairs. By the window, Harry had a large desk and a black leather desk chair. Above the fireplace, there was a portrait identical to the one at the door, except this one was empty. Harry figured it was there so Kurama could freely move through the room.

In his bedroom, Harry had forest green carpeting and white walls. Up a step and against the far wall, he had a king-size four poster. The covers were white and gold with forest green drapes tied back with gold ropes. In front of the fireplace, there was a single green arm chair and a gold oriental rug. Above the fireplace, there was another empty portrait for Kurama. He had a nightstand on the left side of his bed, and a large window to the right that had a great view of the quidditch pitch. There were three other doors in the room; one leading to a bathroom, one leading to a small walk-in closet, and the last to a training room.

The bathroom was done in grey tile and black marble. The tub was large and the shower could fit at least three grown men. In the training room, which was done by Dumbledore earlier, the entire floor was black and padded. The ceiling was also black. Against one wall, there was a collection of finely crafted swords, including the sword of Godric Gryffindor. Above the swords was another empty portrait; the rest of the walls were mirrors from top to bottom. Harry's favorite thing overall was the bedroom ceiling. Dumbledore had shown up at three in the morning, when they had actually finished everything, to see how they were doing. As a treat for Harry, he enchanted his ceiling to be like that of the great hall.

"You look tired," Arianna commented as she buttered her toast.

"You'd be tired too if you stayed up half the night," Harry replied irritably.

Arianna was unfazed. "Grandpa stayed up the whole night, and he's just fine."

"Yeah, well, your grandfather is high on lemon drops," he laughed. "That's why he doesn't sleep, not because he chooses not to."

She laughed with him at her grandfather's expense. "You're probably right."

"You ready to go Harry?" Remus asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"As I'll ever be," he replied, taking in a deep breath.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine," Remus reassured him with a smile. "We have to go or you'll miss the train."

Harry got up from the table. "Alright, see you in a little bit Ari."

"Bye Harry"

**_HPHPHPHP_**

"So, where will you go after this?" Harry asked as they walked to Dumbledore's office. They would portkey from there to an alley near the station and then walk the rest of the way.

"I have to go to Ireland for a while to meet with some possible allies," Remus replied. "After that I don't know. I might drop by here a few times to check up on you and make sure you're taking care of yourself."

"As much as I appreciate the gesture, it's really not necessary," Harry said with a tired smile. "I'm a big boy now; I can take care of myself. Besides, Ari has made it her mission to make sure I stay out of the hospital wing this year."

Remus chuckled. From what he'd seen of Arianna Dumbledore in the few days he'd known her, he knew that once she got an idea in her head, Merlin help whoever got in her way.

"It's not funny Remus," Harry whined. "I don't need to be babied by a girl who happens to be five years my junior."

Remus just continued to laugh, much to Harry's annoyance.

**_HPHPHPHP_**

"Harry, I'm offering you a final opportunity to back out of this," Dumbledore said, as he prepared their portkey. "Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?"

"Yes, I am professor, although if you don't stop asking me, I just might accept the offer; if only to stop you from asking every five minutes," Harry replied good naturedly.

When the portkey was ready, both Harry and Remus touched it and disappeared from the headmaster's office.

Dumbledore sighed sadly, feeling every single one of his many years. They were now officially past the point of no return. "Good luck, my boy. You'll need it."

_**HPHPHPHP**_

They reappeared in a deserted alley, one block away from king cross. They walked the rest of the way carrying Harry's trunk between them. Together, they stepped through the platform and Harry was immediately slammed into by a bushy brown blur.

In order to keep his balance, he had to spin around a few times, lifting her clear off her feet. "I missed you too Hermione, but I can't breathe love," Harry laughed.

He was so happy to see her that he didn't really mind the lack of oxygen, but they were getting an audience. The last thing they both needed was for the Daily Prophet to pin them as a couple again. Plus, the glare he was getting from Ron was a little unsettling.

Hermione had the grace to blush when she finally released him. "Sorry," she said quietly, finally getting a good look at him. "I was so worried about you and I thought what happen to Si…Snuffles would be…

"I'm fine 'Mione, I've been getting some help dealing with it," he replied just as quietly.

"I'm so glad," she said, giving him a watery smile. "Wow, Harry you look great, although you're still to scrawny for my tastes," she continued jokingly.

"I'll show you scrawny," he declared with a devious smile as he launched himself at her.

"Missster Potter," came Snape's sinister voice; the kind of voice that could freeze the very blood flowing through your veins.

Harry froze mid-step and turned around to face the feared potion's master. The half confused half shocked face he put on was Oscar worthy.

"Wh.. What ar..are," he stuttered convincingly.

"If you're quite done with your spectacular reenactment of a troll's mating ritual, your presence is required at Hogwarts immediately," Snape sneered.

"But…Wh why…"

"Though the extent of your vocabulary is quite impressive, when I said immediately, I meant right now," Snape taunted. "Now collect you things and let's be on our way. Your mindless questions shall be answered when we arrive."

No one dared to question Snape as Harry walked back over to where he had dropped his trunk and touched the portkey Snape extended to him. The last thing he saw before he disappeared from the now silent platform was Hermione's worried face and Ron's glare, which was still directed at him.

_**HPHPHPHP**_

"How did it go," Dumbledore asked, not even giving Harry time to pick himself up off the floor where he landed.

"Potter didn't screw up," Snape said simply, and then walked out the door.

"You can go get settled into you room now, and your classroom has been set up to your specifications," Dumbledore said. "I am very proud of you Harry. I hope you know that."

"I do know, and it means a lot to me. Thank you sir," Harry replied with a brilliant smile, and walked out. He immediately saw Arianna leaning against the wall opposite stone gargoyle guarding her grandfather's office.

She got into step with him and they walked toward Harry's room. 'So, how did it go?"

"Perfect!" he declared happily. "I don't think I've ever been so happy to see my friends, although Ron didn't look so happy to see me."

"How come?"

"Because 'Mione and I kind of made a scene at the station and Ron was probably jealous," he replied as they reached his room.

After a short conversation with Kurama to make sure Ari could enter his rooms even if he wasn't present, they entered his room. He put his trunk in his bedroom and joined Ari on the living room couch.

"Does he have something to be jealous about?" she asked, tilting her head like a curious puppy.

"Well, aren't you nosy," he teased.

"Well, I don't have a life, so I might as well live through you," she said simply, although Harry detected a hint of sadness in her eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"Lets just say that you're the first friend that I've ever had," she answered quietly, turning towards the unlit fireplace. "We are friends, right?"

Harry nodded without hesitation. "Of course we're friends Ari, you're like the annoying, bossy, nosy little sister I never had but always wanted."

Arianna flashed him a dazzling smile. "Thanks Harry."

"Anytime," he replied, returning her smile. "If you don't mind my asking, why don't you have any friends? I mean you're a likeable enough person, most of the time."

"Well, we move around a lot," she began, mock glaring at him for his last comment. "We're usually not in the same place more than a few months. I'm also really shy around people I don't know or don't feel comfortable with. It's mostly because of my last name though. People here 'Dumbledore' and they automatically assume things about me, and when I don't live up to their standards… lets just say that most people I meet are usually disappointed after. Sometimes I think even my parents are disappointed in me. The only one that has ever accepted me unconditionally is Grandpa Albus, until you Harry."

Harry could definitely sympathize with the red head. "I know what you mean Ari. People expect me to some sort of god or something and when they finally meet me, they're sorely disappointed."

"If it makes you feel better, I wasn't disappointed when I met you," Arianna stated.

"Thanks, but I didn't mean to sound bitter. All I was trying to say is that I know what it feels like. It's probably worse for you since your family is one of the oldest light families and everyone expects you to be perfect and end up in Gryffindor."

"You don't think I'll end up in Gryffindor?" she asked, elegantly arching an eyebrow.

"Oh please Ari, you're a Slytherin if I've ever seen one," Harry laughed. "If you end up in any house other than Slytherin, I'll wear Slytherin colors all year and give Draco Malfoy my new broomstick."

"Grandpa thinks I'll end up in Slytherin too," she smiled. "Speaking of broomsticks, can you do me a huge favor Harry?"

"Depends," he replied thoughtfully.

"On what?"

"On how nicely you ask," he replied cheekily.

Arianna whipped out her innocent puppy dog eyes and added an adorable pout for good measure. When she spoke, her voice was innocent and angelic. "Harwy, will you please teach me how to fly?"

Harry looked at her incredulously. "You mean to tell me you don't know how to fly?"

"Well, I know how but I'm not very good at it," she replied, a little embarrassed. "I've just never had the opportunity to learn properly and I want to be able to play on my house team next year."

"You don't need to be embarrassed Ari, I just thought since you grew up in this world.." he explained. "Anyway, who could refuse a face like that, but it'll be a while before I have time."

"Oh thank you Harry, you're the best!" she squealed excitedly, giving him a quick hug.

Harry smirked and arched a dark eyebrow. "Tell me something I don't know."

"Prat."

"Brat," he replied affectionately.

"You never did answer my question about whether Ron has a reason to be jealous," she said casually, returning them to their previously abandoned conversation.

"No, he doesn't. 'Mione and I are just friends," he replied, getting up. "Let's go check out my classroom down the hall."

They left Harry's room and continued down the hall until they reached a door at the very end. He pushed open a set of double doors and entered, Arianna not far behind.

The room lit up spectacularly when they entered it courtesy of the torches that lined the side walls. There was also a door that led to Harry's office where he planned on having his one on one practical exams. His desk was in the front of the room and directly behind it was a mural of the Hogwart's crest that took up the entire wall. The back wall was adorned with different dark arts detectors and a variety of weapons. The desks in the room were arranged in a semi-circle, leaving a large space open for dueling.

"You wanna see something cool?" He asked Ari with a knowing smile.

"Sure."

He pulled a lever by the door and a circular dueling platform lowered from the ceiling and fit into the open space perfectly. Set in the center of the platform was a Hogwarts crest. Harry helped Ari up and then climbed on himself. A transparent barrier shimmered into place; its purpose was to keep stray curses from hitting the other students in the class.

"This is so wicked!" she exclaimed, as they descended the platform and headed towards the exit. "I wish I could be in this class."

"You could be in this class… in about five years," he laughed.

They hung out in Harry's room playing chess until the Hogwarts Express arrived. Ari left to go join the first years and Harry settled down on his couch with a thick tomb called, "Improvisation: Dueling with Transfiguration."

**_HPHPHPHP_**

Hermione Granger prided herself on being aware of her surroundings, which is why she immediately knew something was wrong the moment she and Ron stepped into the great hall. Not only was Harry still missing, but so was Professor Dumbledore. She allowed Ron to drag her toward the Gryffindor table while she observed the occupants of the head table. Professor McGonagall was seated in the Headmaster's seat and Madam Hooch was missing. There was also a new professor that was drawing the attention of many of the male students because of her low cut dress robes. Before she could finish her observations, the doors opened and Madam Hooch led in the first years.

The noise in the hall died down as the sorting hat began its song. It was the same one it had recited the previous year. The sorting began and was going normally until one name was called that caused whispers to breakout in the hall.

"Arianna Dumbledore," Madam Hooch called out.

Arianna walked up confidently and gracefully sat down. Madam Hooch placed the hat on her head. The hall was completely silent for the few minutes that the hat took to make its decision.

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Shocked gasps rang throughout the hall as Ari got up and walked towards the Slytherin table and sat down. She raised a questioning eyebrow when she noticed the staring, and they all turned away embarrassed.

The sorting continued and was completed without incident. After the customary announcements and the introduction of Serafina Knight as the new DADA professor, the feast began.

Hermione barely touched her food because she was so worried about Harry. Ron was annoyed because Hermione was ignoring him. Everyone else was curious about the whereabouts of the headmaster and the Boy-Who-Lived. They were also wondering about the enigma named Arianna Dumbledore.

Hidden in the shadows, the headmaster smiled. It was already promising to be a very interesting year.

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OMG this took FOREVER! Not only did I have a bad case of writers block, but I had to get up every five seconds cuz my mom wouldn't leave me alone. It is now 3:07 AM and I've yet to edit this, so never say I don't try. I know I don't deserve it but I would appreciate it if you REVIEW! Once again I apologize for the delay. The next chapter will be out sooner, I promise!

I would like to say thank you to all the people who have read my story, it really means a lot to me!

**A Special thank you to last chapter's reviewers:**

**The Best Witch of All, Gabwr, SiriusRulz14, QueenWeasel, Angel The Devil's Daughter, rosiegirl, LunaShadows, and Heala.**


	9. Advanced Dueling

Disclaimer: If you don't know that I'm NOT JKR by now, I doubt you've been reading my story. If you have been reading this story and still think I'm JKR, then I'm very flattered. I also don't own Youko Kurama or any other YYH characters.

**WARNING**: The characters are a bit out of character in this chapter and will be from this point on. I think! It is necessary for the story, so bear with me.

_Guess Who! Yes it's me. I really wanted to have this finished before HBP but I will not be able to. I thought I'd have time to really focus of it this summer, but I'm taking a Physics course with a three hour lab twice a week and it takes up a lot of my time. I'm really sorry! If it seems rushed near the end I'm sorry, but school doesn't give me much time to sleep much less write. Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself. There's still a lot more to come before the story is done, so why are you still reading my drunken ramblings! Scroll down and read the story. I hope you like it!_

This chapter is dedicated to my girl **Queen Weasel **for sticking with me despite my erratic updating schedule. I really appreciate it and I hope you like this chapter as well. Luv ya!

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**Chapter 9**

**Advanced Dueling**

"Harry if you don't stop pacing this instant, I'll stun you and give you to Professor McKnight as a peace offering," Arianna threatened.

Harry shuddered involuntary at the thought, and sat down at light speed.

Arianna smirked. "Good boy! Now roll over."

"You're not being much help to me right now Ari."

"Harry, you've nothing to be nervous about, you'll be fine," Arianna reassured. "I don't understand why you're this nervous. The Harry I know is a confident, strong, intelligent, powerful young man. All you have to do is show them the Harry I see – which I sincerely hope is the real you – and they'll adore you. Besides, you've taught before, and I'm sure it's mostly the same people in your dueling class."

"I know Ari, but this is a real class, not an after class tutoring session," he said tugging at the tight collar of is new teacher robes. "I have to give exams and assignments and give them a grade. Plus, there will be Slytherins in the class, no offense to you. I mean it was hard enough when it was just my friends, but now there will be people in there whose parents want nothing more than to have the pleasure of watching Voldemort kill me in the most painful way possible."

"I think I know what your problem is," she said, but made no effort to clarify.

Harry cocked his head slightly to the side in inquiry. "Well are you going to sit there watching your nails grow or are you going to share your infinite wisdom with this unworthy mortal?"

"You're trying to be something you are not," Arianna said laughing at his obvious frustration. "You are sitting there clearly uncomfortable, dressed like a younger better looking version of Professor Snape. You can't be comfortable in class if you're not even comfortable in your clothing. Go change into something more comfortable and you'll feel better."

Harry looked at her skeptically.

"Trust me Harry…and put your new glasses on. You didn't get them to decorate your nightstand."

Harry had to admit when he emerged from his bedroom that he did feel a lot more comfortable and confident, and he told Ari so.

"I told you so," she said somewhat childishly. "Besides, robes aren't very practical for dueling."

"So, how do I look?" Harry asked, obviously fishing for compliments.

Arianna looked him over appraisingly. He was wearing slightly baggy faded blue jeans paired with a simple white short sleeved polo shirt. The necklace Remus gave him was clearly visible in the V of his shirt and it complemented it nicely. On his feet, he wore a pair of green and white retro Air Jordan IV (AN: My brother is a collector and he insisted I put some of the shoes in his collection in the story). His new frames completed the outfit.

"Not bad for a Gryffindor," she sneered.

"Whoa, you have no idea how much you reminded me of Malfoy just now."

"Well I'll take that as a compliment," she laughed.

"You really shouldn't, love" he said seriously. "Malfoy is pureblood snob and an asshole to boot."

"Harry, I know that Draco has been extremely cruel, especially to you and your friends, but when he's in the common room with just Slytherins, he's a heart," she explained. (AN/ For those of you who don't know, a heart is short for a sweetheart.)

Harry looked at her as though she just grew an extra head.

"Honestly, Harry," she continued. "He makes sure the first years know their way around and helps everyone, even the seventh years, with their homework. Yesterday he sat up all night with a girl that was homesick, and he tells the funniest jokes."

"If all that is true, then why does he treat everyone else like they aren't worthy to chew the gum he scrapes off the bottom of his shoe?"

"You yourself just said that most of their parents are Death Eaters. The thing is most of them don't want to follow in their parents foot steps, but they have to act like they do so as not to arouse their parents suspicion. Slytherins are all about survival Harry. With you though, I think it's a little more personal for Draco."

"What do you mean?" he asked, trying to think of anything he might have done to make Malfoy hate him so much.

"You'll have to find out that one yourself," she told him with an air of finality.

"How do you know all this about Malfoy anyway, school only started two days ago?" Harry inquired.

"Well, the whole school's been a little cold to me because I have to be 'evil' to get into Slytherin," she said lightly, but Harry could tell it hurt her. "I mean that's the only way a Dumbledore could ever be in Slytherin, right? What a bunch of self righteous idiots. Anyway, Draco and the rest of my house have been really nice and welcoming. I think he has adopted me or something."

Harry was surprised. He hadn't left his room since school started except to go to training with Dumbledore, so he had no idea what had been going on. "I'm sorry Ari; I know just how judgmental people can be, especially when they know nothing about you."

"How did you ever get into Gryffindor Harry?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because they are all so self righteous," she replied. "I hear them whispering when I walk by. They think all the teachers are showing me favoritism just because I happen to answer their questions correctly. One guy actually called me a death eater and said Grandpa was probably ashamed on me."

Harry looked at her incredulously. "I'm sorry Ari,"

"Don't apologize Harry. Besides, you should be sorry for him," she said with a smirk. "He's the one spending the night in the hospital wing, while all I got was a measly detention with Professor Snape."

"I'm sure your grandfather got a real kick out of that," he laughed.

"He'll live," she shrugged. "So how come you're a Gryffindor? If I didn't know you were a Gryffindor, I would have put money on you being a Slytherin."

"Well, if you must know the sorting hat wanted to put me in Slytherin, but I convinced it not to," he answered. "And before you ask why, at the time, all I had heard about it was that it produced a lot of dark wizards and Malfoy ended up in Slytherin and he was total prat, so I wanted nothing to do with him. I didn't ask for Gryffindor, just not Slytherin."

"And if you had it to do all over?"

"I love my friends Ari," was all he told her.

"That's not an answer."

"It's the only one I'm willing to give right now."

Arianna sighed, deciding not to push the issue. "Fair enough, Harry."

He smiled at her, glad that she had chosen to respect his privacy. "We'll, I do believe I've kept my class waiting long enough to be considered fashionably late, don't you think?"

"I concur," she answered with a smirk. "Now go in there and show my housemates exactly why their parents loathe you."

He got up and headed towards the door. "Nice pep talk. I'll do my best to show off. By the way, this place should look exactly like this when I get back," he warned.

Arianna giggled. "In other words, you want me to sit down, do my homework, and try not to break anything."

"Exactly. Maybe I should have you follow me around and be my personal translator," he laughed.

"Not even if you paid me Potter, now go teach your class," she sneered.

"See ya!" he called laughing as he shut the door behind him.

"Bye," she replied laughing at her antics.

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He greeted Kurama as he left, before walking down the hall to his classroom. He was five minutes late, but he had left the door open so the students could get in. He was nervous as hell, but he knew there was no turning back now. He took a deep breath and walked in confidently, at least on the outside.

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Hermione was definitely in a bad mood. She was sitting in the dueling classroom waiting for the professor to make his or her appearance. Professor Dumbledore had finally shown up in the Great Hall this morning after being absent the whole weekend (AN: I had them come back on a Friday). He apologized for his absence and announced that the dueling professor had been delayed indefinitely and that a substitute professor would be provided. Although everyone around her was curious as to whom the substitute would be, she quite frankly didn't give a rat's arse. Harry still hadn't made an appearance and she was terribly worried, even though the professors assured her that he was fine. Add the fact that she had a splitting headache to the mix, and one would know right away not to mess with her, right?

Well, no one ever accused Ron Weasley of being smart. He was being terribly rude about Slytherins being in the class and generally making an arse of himself. Said Slytherins weren't even bothering anyone; instead they sat, conversing amongst themselves quietly. One Slytherin in particular caught her attention: Draco Malfoy, the Slytherin Prince. He hadn't really bothered anyone yet, which was rare considering he always made an appearance in their compartment on the ride to Hogwarts. He had been very quiet this so far, very pensive. It was almost as though Harry's mysterious absence had thrown him off his game.

"_Interesting,_" she thought to herself. "_Very interesting indeed. I'll have to keep an eye on him, just in…_"

"HERMIONE!" Ron yelled, directly in her left ear. "Are you even listening to me?"

"No, because everything that has come out of your mouth is a testament to how immature and ignorant you are," she snapped. "We haven't laid eyes on Harry since we got here, but all you can talk about is how evil Slytherins are, regardless of the fact that they haven't even bothered us since school started. Just grow up Ron."

"Why are you so worried about Harry anyway," Ron bristled. "You heard what Professor McGonagall said, Harry's fine. He's always is. If you're not careful, people might start to think you're in love with him or something."

"Since when exactly have I cared about what people think!" she screamed. He had pissed her off all weekend and she was finally taking her frustrations out on him. It felt damn good. "Harry's my best friend, and I thought he was yours too."

"He is! But I'm not going to kill myself worrying about him!"

She knew they were making a scene but she was too far gone to care. "That's because lately, all you ever worry about is yourself. Just because you now have a few extra galleons to throw around, you think you can trample over everyone else? Well, I've got news for you Ronald Weasley, you're…."

"Down 'Moine," Harry chastised, finally making his presence known. He had slipped in unnoticed at the beginning of the argument, since everyone else's attention was on the quarrelling pair. He originally thought it would be like one of their usually fights, but as it progressed he knew it was more than that. Hermione was truly pissed at Ron for some reason, and he decided it was time to put a stop to it. "Before you say something I know you will regret."

"Harry?" she said, almost as though she needed confirmation that it was really him.

He stepped more fully into the light and smiled at her hesitantly. "Hi?"

She shot up out of her seat and stalked across the room towards him. "Harry James Potter! I don't know whether to hug you or hurt you," she told him.

"I like the sound of the former personally," he replied quietly, opening his arms in invitation.

Hermione let out an exasperated sigh before stepping into his arms.

"Where were you?" she asked, although it was muffled against his shoulder.

"Not now," he whispered in her ear. "We'll talk after class, I promise."

She nodded her understanding before stepping out of his embrace. She grabbed his hand and pulled him along. "Come on, the teacher should be here any minute now and I'm sure he'll be mad if we're not in our seats."

"I'm sure I don't mind," he laughed.

"What?" she asked, releasing his hand in disbelief.

"I said I'm sure I don't mind if you're not all in you seats when I enter the classroom." He repeated, with an uncharacteristic smirk. "Close your mouth love, before a dragon builds a nest in it"

"But you can't be serious," she insisted. "_You're_ the substitute?"

Harry nodded and smiled. "Take your seat 'Mione."

Harry walked back to the front of the room and leaned on his desk in a would-be casual manner.

"Good evening everyone," he began. "I'm Harry, and I will be your substitute Advanced Dueling professor until Professor Dumbledore can manipulate someone else into taking the job."

"You can't be serious!" someone shouted angrily. Harry recognized him as a Slytherin seventh year, but he was not familiar with him. "How can Dumbledore expect us to sit here and be taught by a freakin' sixth year! Its insulting, that's what it is!"

Harry looked around and saw that quite a few agreed with the angry Slytherin, even a few people that had been DA members.

'_We can't have that now, can we,_' Harry thought to himself as he calmly picked up the roster from behind him.

"I assure you Mr…"

"Adrian Pucey," the dark haired Slytherin supplied haughtily.

"I assure you Mr. Pucey that I am more than capable of teaching this class," Harry stated calmly. "Of course you don't have to take my word for it; you're more than welcome to see for yourself, if you think you're up to it. That offer is open to all of you."

"Oh, I'm up to it Potter," Adrian said, pulling out his wand and walking up to Harry.

"I'm in too," said a tall, lanky guy that Harry vaguely recognized as the Ravenclaw keeper. His name was Marcus Lovette. Along with him, a female Ravenclaw, Sheila Harvey, and another Slytherin guy named, Carson Marble.

"Is that all?" Harry asked, still maintaining his calm demeanor. When no one else got up, he walked to the lever by door and turned to his challengers. "We're a little pressed for time today so unfortunately, I won't be able to duel you individually. I am…"

"What are you going to do? Duel all four of us at once?" The Ravenclaw asked incredulously.

"Do you have a problem with that?" Harry asked.

"You're mad Potter," Adrian told him, although his voice held a hint of apprehension.

"Well, having a crazed mad man after you since you were one year old kinda rubs off on you," Harry told him casually. He pulled the lever to lower the dueling platform, and gestured for them to get on. He then climbed on and the barrier shimmered into place. "Here are the rules: No Unforgivables, and nothing that can cause serious harm, although madam Pomfrey can be here within seconds should anything go wrong. Any questions before we begin?"

"No Potter, now quit stalling," Pucey demanded.

"As you wish. The first move is yours."

"Tarantallegra!" Pucey yelled.

Harry side stepped the curse easily and rapidly fired two of his own, aiming for the female Ravenclaw. "Stupefy! Incarcerous!"

Both hit their mark and the girl fell to the ground, stunned and bound. He summoned her wand to himself as he narrowly avoided Blinding Hex. "Lesson #1, always make sure that once you have an opponent down, he/she stays down," Harry lectured as the duel continued.

"Reducto!"

"Protego!" Harry countered, sending the curse back to its caster, who fell to the ground in order to avoid it. Before he could get back up, he found himself in a powerful full body bind courtesy of Harry. "Lesson #2, Don't be afraid to hit an opponent while he/she is down, or has their back turned to you. You're not being noble, you're being stupid."

The duel continued with just Harry vs. the two Slytherins for a few intense minutes before Harry was finally disarmed. Both boys let their guard down, turning their backs to Harry and raising their hands in victory, not noticing as Harry snuck up behind them until it was too late.

Harry expertly hit the other Slytherin in the back of the neck, causing him to drop to the ground unconscious. He quickly grabbed his wand and retreated to the edge of the platform opposite from Pucey, who hadn't moved since Harry's surprise attack except to get back into dueling stance.

"Lesson #3 and #4, NEVER turn your back to an opponent, and NEVER assume that because your opponent is unarmed, the duel is automatically over. It doesn't work that way in the real world."

Pucey, angry at Harry's calm demeanor, started at send curse after curse at Harry, each one missing worse than the previous.

"Lesson #5," Harry began, as he easily avoided all the off target attacks, "DO NOT attack your opponent in anger. It causes you to lose your focus and apparently your aim."

Harry finally decided to end the duel as he noticed that Pucey was becoming tired and his spells weaker. He pictured a long albino python in his mind before saying, "Serpensortia!"

The snake appeared and Harry commanded it in Parseltongue to restrain the Slytherin. The python nodded its head at the command and slithered towards Pucey, who was frozen in fear at the sight of the large serpent. It coiled itself around his entire body making him completely immobile.

"Lesson #6, use any strengths you have to your advantage. If you have none, don't be afraid to use your feminine or masculine charms to put your opponent at a disadvantage."

"Immobulus!"

Pucey froze completely, and the python released him in favor of loosely wrapping itself around Harry. Harry plucked Pucey's wand from his grasped and added it to the other three he had collected from his other opponents.

"That ladies and gentlemen concludes the duel," Harry said addressing the rest of the class. The barrier automatically dropped and Harry revived his opponents. There was a loud round of applause for all of them, as they returned to their seats. He banished the python before continuing. "Thank you to the four of you for a marvelous duel."

"Did you have to make it look so easy, mate?" Pucey asked with a grin. It seemed that Harry had earned his respect, and the respect of everyone else in the room, if the looks on their faces was anything to go by. Even Malfoy seemed to have a little respect, if only for his dueling skills.

Harry's reply was simple. "Lesson #7, NEVER let your opponent see you sweat, no matter how badly you're scared and panicked you are on the inside."

Harry got off the platform and walked to his desk. He tapped his wand once on a stack of papers and it disappeared and reappeared as a multi-paged work sheet on each student's desk.

"This is your assignment due on Wednesday. You are to read Chapter 1, which is about dueling with transfiguration, and answer the questions on the worksheet. There is also an 18 inch essay discussing the pro and cons of dueling with transfiguration due on Friday, at the beginning of class. Any questions so far?"

He wasn't surprised when Hermione's hand went up. "Yes?"

"Can the essay be longer than 18 inches?"

"Yes it can be longer, but not shorter," he answered with a smile. "All the information you'll need is in the book, so it shouldn't take you a lot of time to complete it. Any other questions?"

"What if it's late?" Zacharias Smith asked.

"It will be accepted for full credit only if I get a signed note from Madam Pomfrey or the Headmaster," he replied. "Otherwise, for everyday it's late, you lose a letter grade. This applies to all homework that I assign. Any other questions?"

No one raised their hand. "Try not to be tardy, or else you might miss something important and I don't like repeating myself. Your exams have a written and a practical portion, but we'll get to that in more detail when the time comes. You are not required to wear robes for this class; in fact, I'd prefer it if you didn't since robes aren't very practical for dueling. If you skip class without a valid reason, detention! About cheating, if you must do it DON'T GET CAUGHT! Er..what else…. Oh yes, you will all treat your classmates with respect and courtesy as long as you're in here. I don't care what you do outside of here, but while you're here there _will _be peace among all the houses. I think that about cover it as far as rules go. Any questions?"

"None?" he asked when no hands went up. "Alright then, we still have a little over an hour of class time left, so I'll pair you up and we'll have some duels, so I can see what you're all made of."

"First up, Ginny Weasley and Cho Chang." He sat on his desk with a clip board on his lap and a self-inking quill in his hand. He made sure the barrier shimmered into place before he told them they could begin.

Harry made notes during all the duels on everyone's strengths and weaknesses, as well as their dueling styles or lack there of. Most of the duels were pretty standard, but some were downright hilarious, like when Hermione conjured spiders in her duel against Ron and he fainted after he screamed like a girl, and when Draco Malfoy gave Pansy an elephant's trunk for a nose and a butt the size of Texas."

"It's good to see that we won't be starting from scratch completely," he commented, after the final duel had ended. "You all have at least a basic idea about how to duel. On Wednesday and Friday, we'll cover the transfiguration portion. Don't forget about your two assignments due Wednesday and Friday. Any questions?"

No hands went up. "In that case, class is dismissed."

* * *

The classroom emptied quickly, as people filed out eager to tell their friends about the class. Harry was about to close the door after on himself and Hermione remained when Draco Malfoy reentered the classroom.

"Would you happen to know where Arianna is, Potter?" he asked politely. "The last I saw her, she told me she was coming to see you although she refused to tell me where you were, but I don't see her anywhere. I was going to walk her back to the common room."

"I told her she could stay in my room and work on her homework while I'm in here," Harry replied, just as politely. He decided that if the blonde could be civil, then so could he. "It's down the hall, second on the left. Just ask Kurama to get her for you."

"Kurama?" the blonde inquired.

"Oh sorry, Kurama is depicted in the portrait that guards the entrance to my room," Harry clarified.

"Thank you," he said, inclining his head just a tad. He turned to leave, but paused to say, "By the way Potter, you weren't half bad today." Then he turned gracefully and left the classroom.

Harry and Hermione both started at the door for a few seconds, completely speechless.

"Was I hearing things or did Draco Malfoy just pay you a complement," Hermione asked, when she finally regained the ability to form complete sentences.

"Either that or we're both hearing things," Harry replied, leaning on his desk.

"I guess I shouldn't be so surprised seeing as he has bothered Ron and I at all so far," she informed him, as she sat herself on his desk. "So, tell me Harry, how did you manage to get yourself into this mess?"

Harry pouted slightly. "Mess? I thought I did okay."

Hermione laughed. It wasn't everyday one saw Harry Potter pout. She was glad that Sirius' death hadn't dampened his spirit. "Okay? Harry, you were amazing. Your class is going to be the talk of the school tomorrow. Everyone is going to try to get in it."

"You really think so?"

"Am I ever wrong?"

"And you're so humble too," he teased.

"You're just jealous," she said, childishly sticking her tongue out at him. "Anyway, how in the world did you end up being the substitute?"

"You and I both know that Dumbledore could sell ice to an Eskimo, so I don't know why you're so surprised he managed to con me into it," Harry explained. "I knew I should have run the moment Snape dumped me in his office and I saw his eyes twinkling more than a star on top of a freakin' a Christmas tree. But did I trust my instincts? Noooo, I sat there and listened to him explain his dilemma and before I can even grasp what is happening, I feel myself nodding and hear myself agreeing to be the substitute until he can find a more suitable replacement. I swear, he must have cast something on…. It's not funny, 'Mione, I really believe he tampered with my mind in some way to make me agree….. Hermoine! Are you even listening to me?"

He rolled his eyes at her and crossed his arms petulantly. He really hated lying to his friends, Hermione especially, but it was necessary. He just hoped she would find the real reason as funny as his spur of the moment explanation.

"It's really not that funny love," he said seriously, try not to laugh at her antics. She was literally rolling on the floor and laughing her ass off (figuratively). He hopped off his desk and tried to help her off the floor, only to end up on the floor himself; he couldn't hold her up because she wouldn't stop laughing. He gave up and decided to just let her laugh it off. It was obvious she needed a good laugh, if her shortness with Ron was any indication.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, but was only about a minute, Hermione stopped laughing. She was left gasping, desperately trying to catch her breathe, still letting out an occasional giggle.

"I don't think anything I said warranted that kind of guffaw."

"It was the look on your face," she explained, with yet another giggle. "You looked so confused, indignant, petulant, and certain all at the same time. It was probably the funniest face I've ever seen in my life, especially since it was you making that face."

"Okay, so I told you my story, now you have to tell me yours," Harry said seriously. "What's going on with you and Ron? I mean I'm used to you guys bickering, but you looked about ready to maim him before I stepped in."

"He was just being an immature jealous prat," she explained, all traces of her previous smile completely gone.

"Care to elaborate, because there is nothing new about that." He said dryly.

* * *

Harry fell into bed later that night completely worn out. It had been a very long day and there were so many things running through his mind. One of them was Ron.

He and Hermione had talked until just before curfew. She told him that Ron had been acting a bit pompous after he received the money Sirius left to him, which was quite a substantial sum. She also told him that they had gotten closer over the summer. They had even gone out on a date, but after the scene at the platform, he had been increasingly jealous and possessive.

Hermione wanted Harry to talk to Ron immediately and straighten things up between then since it was obvious to even a blind person that Ron was angry at him. Harry decided to wait a while for Ron to come to his senses before he approached him.

Something else, or rather someone else that occupied his mind was his rival, Draco Malfoy. The civil conversation that they had earlier in the evening had really thrown him for a loop, especially after Ari had informed him of the blonde Slytherin's true nature. He truly didn't know what to make of him, or any of the other Sltherins in his class for that matter. He had expected to get a really hard time from all of them, especially Malfoy, but they had been quite cooperative. Although Pucey and Marble had challenged him, he knew it was because he was so young, not because of who he was.

"Well, if they're willing to be civil this year, so am I," he said to himself, not bothering to stifle his yawn. "God knows I have enough to deal with this year."

With that final thought, he fell into an exhausted slumber.

* * *

Fourteen Pages! WOW! Sorry for the wait, but I really didn't want to break this chapter up into two parts. Drop me a REVIEW and let me know what you think. Remember, I can't change anything if you don't tell me.

Thanks to everyone who has stuck with this story. I really appreciate every single one of you.

_**A special thank you to those who reviewed the last chapter:**_

**Handsoff, QueenWeasel, crimson spirit, HoshiHikari, jkh1, kjady, FRED, TicTacTurtle, SiriusRulz14, and Angel the Devil's Daughter.**

Also, thank you to **LupinLover88** and **ronsREALgir**l for their review for previous chapters.

**Chapter 10 Teaser**

An Attack,

Ari's Quidditch Lesson,

More Dueling Class,

A Halloween Ball, and

A Charity Auction!

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I hope that sufficiently whets your appetites : ) Don't forget to drop me a **review** on your way out. Until next time, No SEX, No DRUGS, and No VIOLENCE!

Later!


	10. A not so Triumphant Return

Disclaimer: If you don't know that I'm NOT JKR by now, I doubt you've been reading my story. If you have been reading this story and still think I'm JKR, then I'm very flattered. I also don't own Youko Kurama or any other YYH characters.

xXxXxXx

**WARNING**: The characters are a bit OOC in this chapter and will be from this point on. I think! It is necessary for the story, so bear with me. Also, if you remember me saying that there would be hints of slash it this story, well the hints start here.

**A/N**_ I am so sorry that I have been MIA for close to five months now. School is just really kicking my ass here. My schedule is killer and the little time I did have to write, it was like walking into a brick wall. But just today, I got out of lab early and I was inspired to write and eight pages later, here we are. I'm splitting this chapter into parts, mostly because I actually have to sit down and get some work done. Thank you all so much for your patience and I hope you enjoy it._

* * *

**Chapter 10 pt. 1  
A not so Triumphant Return**

Sunday night found Harry making his way back to his room slowly after another grueling session with Dumbledore. Sometimes he could swear that the old man enjoyed seeing him land on his arse a little too much. His entire body ached and he could feel the strain on muscles he didn't even know he had. In short, the almost daily sessions with Dumbledore, although sometimes the other professors participated, were taking a toll on his body, both physically and mentally. Not to mention the strain said sessions put on his friendships.

His feet automatically led him towards his room, and he couldn't help but get lost in thought. The year so far had certainly been different from any he'd had at Hogwarts; not necessarily bad, but different.

The only time he really got to see his friends was during class. He hardly ever ate in the great hall, and when he did, he always felt so out of touch with them because he couldn't actively participate in the conversations around him. Hermione rarely ever stayed after class to talk to him because she was always busy studying one thing or another. And although he and Ron were on the best of terms once again, he was busy, seeing as he had been made quidditch captain in Harry's absence.

Not to say that he didn't have anyone to hang out with, on the uncommon occasion where he actually had free time. He and Arianna remained as close as they had been during the summer, considerably closer even. And she didn't care if he had free time or not; she just invited herself over and forced him to make time. He was very grateful for her. Someone else he found himself spending more and more of his infrequent free time with was the Slytherin Prince himself, Draco Malfoy. This latest development was also thanks to Ari. For her sake, both boys had called a truce of sorts that led to friendship of sorts. (huh!). He found that he could appreciate the blonde's sarcastic wit and elegant grace now that he had come to know him better. Before, he thought he was just being a pompous jerk, but now he knew that it was just how he was raised; a pureblood mask he had been forced to don at an early age.

He smiled as he thought of the event that had been the turning point in their relationship (meaning from truce to actual friendship). He had been returning from a session with Dumbledore lost in thought, much like he was now come to think of it, when he collided with a speeding object that knocked him onto his already bruised arse. The fast moving object had been Draco frantically trying to get away from a frisky Professor McKnight. The hilarity of seeing the Slytherin Prince scared shitless was lost on Harry at that moment, but later, after they were safe and sure they were not about to be molested in the halls, he laughed, and laughed, and laughed, until Draco had been forced to either join him or feel completely ignored. Draco had chosen to join him and it had been the start of a beautiful friendship.

His lessons with Dumbledore were really paying off, so far. He was becoming a very powerful wizard, if he did say so himself, although Dumbledore had told him so on many occasions. He was now able to tap into his core magic and reach his full magical potential, although tonight was the first time he could do so without passing out. He had already mastered wandless magic and he had even managed to beat Dumbledore in a duel once. There was a tangible energy that seemed to flow out of him when he cast even the simplest of spells. His class had noticed it to, and it earned him their respect even more so than before. He was far more confident in his ability than he ever was before, and it showed in the way he carried himself. Instead of crumbling under all the pressure placed on him by the media and the ministry, he had chosen to stand firm and meet it head on. The younger students, and some of the older ones, were in absolute awe of him when they actually managed to catch a glimpse of him. More than ever, he was bombarded with request for autographs, dates, and a few even asked for him to father their children. He shuddered to think what would happen if they found out he was loaded; at least the daily prophet hadn't managed to leak that information yet.

He arrived at his room before he knew it and said a quick hello to Kurama before entering. He grimaced as he caught a glimpse of the large stack of essays and exams yet to be graded on his desk.

His classes got better and better every time they met. It wasn't all sunshine and daisies though; there was the occasional argument and unannounced duel, especially between Gryffindor and Slytherin. Other than that, everyone managed to learn and have a blast at the same time. They had even stopped grumbling about the amount of homework he assigned.

He grabbed a pair of pajama bottoms and a t shirt before heading for the bathroom. He turned the shower on and tinkled with the knobs until the water was as hot as his skin could handle. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror as he stripped and almost didn't recognize himself. He had been surviving with only four to five hours of sleep a night since the beginning of the year, and it was starting to show. In the past week, he had gotten no sleep at all; his nightmares of Sirius, Cedric, and his parents had returned with a vengeance. Every time he closed his eyes he saw them, pointing accusing fingers at him and chasing him; trying to drown him his darkness. He would wake up from these nightmares feeling like he was actually suffocating and gasping for breathe.

The reason for his nightmares resurfacing was because of Remus' lack of communication. He hadn't contacted Harry once since he left him on the platform, and all the letters he sent came back unopened. He couldn't shake the felling that something was seriously wrong, and his worry was made even greater by the headmaster's growing concern for the missing werewolf.

He stepped into the hot spray and let out a soft sigh as the water pounded his aches and pains away. It almost felt as good as being in the air again. Almost. He could still remember the complete bliss he had felt when he returned to the air yesterday after his prolonged absence. Of course, his reason for flying hadn't been completely selfish; he had also found the time to give Ari her long awaited flying lesson while he was at it.

* * *

'_Flashback; Yesterday morning'_

_A hush fell over the great hall as Harry strode purposefully into the room with his firebolt thrown casually over his shoulder. The silence soon turned into urgent whispers as he bypassed the Gryffindor table and kept going until he reached the very last table, the Slytherin table. _

_Ari was sitting with her back to him and her head bowed over a thick book, completely unaware of the sudden change that had come over her peers. Harry leaned forward a little so he could her head, and smiled when she still didn't notice his presence. He directed the smile to Draco, who was sitting directly across from Ari, when he caught the blonde's questioning glance. Draco returned the smile and leaned back to enjoy the show. The exchange between the two boys didn't go unnoticed by those around them and would no doubt feed the Hogwarts rumor mills for weeks to come. Although they were not actively trying to hide the change in their relationship, they hadn't been presented with any opportunities to be friendly with each other in public outside of class. Either the other students in class had mistaken their friendship for forced civility or they just hadn't felt the need to tell the world. He decided to tackle their 'outing' later and turned his attention back to Ari._

"_I rather prefer Shakespeare with my breakfast than a Grimm Fairytale, but whatever creams your coffee," he commented from above her, startling her into knocking her cup of juice over._

_He sent her a devilish smirk when she tilted her head back to glare at him. "Good morning Harry, hibernation over already?" _

"_Ha Ha… your sense of humor is just about as good as your grandfathers… and that was not a compliment," he responded with a dramatic roll of his eyes. "Here I was taking time out of my busy schedule to give you that flying lesson you've been hounding me about, but if that's your attitude, I think I'll just return to my peaceful hibernation." He turned around and started to walk away to add to the effect. _

_Ari shot out of her chair in less than a heartbeat. "No! Harry wait! Are you really going to give me a lesson?"_

_He turned around partially with a sly look on his face. "Well, I was until you…"_

"_Oh Harry, you're the best," she squealed, launching herself at him in a blatant attempt to squeeze the last breath out of him. She released him shortly after and said, "let me get changed and then we can get started."_

_Without waiting for his reply, she ran out of the hall, leaving him standing with a dazed expression on his face. He looked at Draco, who seemed to be fighting a battle to keep his laughter at bay._

"_What's so funny?" he demanded, eying the blonde suspiciously. _

"_Oh I don't know," he replied with the trademark Malfoy smirk firmly in place. "Maybe it's the fact that an eleven year old girl has you wrapped so completely around her little finger, or maybe it's the fact that she was completely right with the hibernation comment. Or maybe both."_

_Harry huffed in a mildly offended manner and flipped Draco a bird. The gesture caused Draco to lose his ongoing battle with laughter, although he valiantly tried to cover it up with an exaggerated cough. Harry felt a smile tug at his lips at Draco's reaction but still managed to look annoyed. He flipped the blonde another bird for good measure and began to walk towards the teacher's table. This only caused him to laugh harder._

_He got the key to the broom shed from madam Hooch and approached the Gryffindor table, but was stopped by Professor McKnight before he could get away._

"_Harry, I know that you now have the privileges of a teacher but it is against the school rules for a first year to fly outside of their flying lesson, with the exception of yourself of course," she said sweetly, giving him a flirtatious smile. "It would be highly unseemly to allow Miss Dumbledore to break the rules, even if she is the headmaster's granddaughter."_

"_Well Professor McKnight, I know it's your first year teaching also and you've probably been spending your free time memorizing the school rules in order to keep them from being broken in your presence," Harry began with false politeness. "But I've been here for six years and I can assure you that I also know all the school rules. The difference between the two of us is that while you want to ensure that they're not broken, I wanted to find ways around them. The rules say that a first year may not fly without supervision, and cannot own a broom. That doesn't mean that the only time that first years are allowed to fly is during their flying lesson; it means exactly what it says. Now, I'm taking Ari flying. She will be supervised by me and she will be riding a school broom until I think she's ready to use my broom. I happen to think that it's perfectly within school rules, don't you agree professor?"_

_The poor woman had nothing to say for a moment. Her annoying grin had disappeared and she looked fairly embarrassed. Harry noticed that Professor Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling a little more that usual, which meant he was amused. Professor McGonagall covered her laughter with a fake cough and Professor Snape's face bore a highly amused smirk._

_She pulled herself together momentarily and started to reply, only to be cut off by an excited Ari dragging Harry away from her and out of the great hall._

_End Flashback._

_

* * *

_

They flew until dinnertime and enjoyed every second of it. Draco had also joined them for a couple of hours before he had to go work on his potions essay. Arianna had greatly exaggerated when she said she wasn't very good. She was a natural and he'd told her so; she just needed a little confidence in herself. Harry had felt like he was finally home the moment he'd taken off and decided that it was well worth the stack of paper awaiting him in his common room. They had even gathered a large audience when Ari had begged him to perform some more advanced moves, including a spectacular Wronski Feint and several potentially dangerous acrobatic moves that he made her promise never to attempt on her own unless he was present.

He did catch some grief from the Gryffindors, especially Ron and the rest of the Quidditch team, who accused him of being a traitor for helping Slytherins. Ron was especially angry that he was apparently friendly with the Slytherin Prince. His only response to them was that it was time to put foolish rivalries aside and grow up.

He got out of the shower and dried off, before putting on his chosen sleep attire and heading to the common room. He settled in at his desk for a night filled with grading assignments and exams. He also grabbed a hand full of candy from the giant Honeydukes barrel sitting beside the desk. This was a new addition to the room courtesy of the headmaster. His gift certificate from the old man for a lifetime supply of Honeydukes candy had been activated about two weeks ago and two giant barrels filled to the brim had been delivered to him. He kept the other barrel in his classroom for his students to enjoy as they pleased. The barrels were charmed to constantly refill themselves as candy was removed from them.

He didn't look up from his task until about three hours later when Kurama got his attention. He looked at his watch and saw that it was a little after midnight.

"What is it Kurama?"

"Your lover boy's here," the old fox demon teased.

Harry groaned exasperatedly but was unable to stop himself from blushing. "How many times do I have to tell you that Draco and I are just friends? Merlin, we haven't even been friends for up to a month and you're already branding him as my lover."

Kurama just laughed at him through his entire rant.

Harry glared at him in irritation. "And just what is so funny?" he huffed.

"Oh nothing, young one. I just find it humorous that you assumed I was talking about Draco when I never said it was him," he replied with a sly smirk. "I also don't remember referring to him by that particular nickname before."

Before Harry could reply, Kurama disappeared and the portrait swung open, allowing a slightly annoyed Draco to enter.

"What took you so long?" he inquired as he flopped down onto the sofa in front of the fire. When Harry didn't reply immediately, he added, "Are you okay?"

"Huh?...Oh um.. I'm fine, I just…I guess I was just...never mind," he finally said, taking the armchair to the left of the sofa. "So what brings you here this late? I'm pretty sure you don't patrol tonight."

He gestured towards the potions book that he brought with him. "Potions exam tomorrow and I can't concentrate in my dorm. I don't want to get caught studying some empty classroom by Filch, or worse McKnight, so you're my last hope."

"Sure, I was just grading some papers anyway," he replied, getting up to grab the papers from his desk before returning to his seat. "You can even crash here if it gets too late for you to return to your dorm."

"Thanks," Draco murmured, offering Harry a small smile before turning his attention to his potions text.

They silence was comfortable as both boys completed their tasks. Neither of them moved for the most part other than when Draco got up to used the bathroom and get a couple of chocolate frogs. Harry was a little confused and curious when he caught Draco staring at him a couple of times. Two hours passed before he finally let his curiosity get the best of him.

"Why do you keep staring at me, like you're trying to figure me out or something?"

"Just wondering," he replied vaguely.

Harry frowned slightly. "About what?" he pushed.

Draco didn't reply immediately. Harry was just starting to get slightly irritated when he finally answered.

"If you had it to do over, would you have taken my hand that day on the train?" he asked seriously, his silver eyes locking onto Harry emerald ones.

Of all the things he had been expecting, he certainly hadn't been expecting the blonde ask that. Just as he had been unable to answer Ari's question that evening before his very first class, he was also unable to give Draco an answer. Or maybe he was just unwilling to give one.

"If you had it to do over, would you have offered your hand that day on the train?" he asked instead, determinedly avoiding the deep eyes that seemed to be boring into his very soul. He fought to suppress the shiver that ran down his spine. Of all his friends and enemies, Draco Malfoy was the one person that could affect him so deeply, whether as a friend or as an enemy.

"You didn't ans…." Draco began but shot out of his seat to kneel beside Harry's when the raven haired savior cried out in pain. There was a sickening smell of burning flesh emanating from Harry, and Draco noticed that he was clutching tightly at something around his neck. He managed to pry Harry's hand away from the object with a lot of effort and realized that it was the necklace that Harry constantly wore. It was a truly beautiful piece of jewelry, but whenever Harry was complimented about it or asked where he had gotten it from; he always closed up and sadly replied that it was from a very good friend. This had fueled rumors that it was from an old lover that had left the boy-who-lived heartbroken.

The cross itself was currently floating on its own accord, as though to avoid burning Harry's chest. The smell of burning flesh was from where Harry clutched the almost molten hot necklace in his left hand, which now had a Celtic cross burned into the palm.

"Harry! Harry, are you ok? Please say something," Draco pleaded. It seemed that Harry had gone delirious with pain for he was mumbling incoherently and seemed unaware of the tears flowing from his wild and desperate looking eyes. All he was able to make out was '_please not him too'_ over and over again. It seemed Harry was repeating it over and over again, like a mantra.

He had just asked Kurama to go get help when Harry let out a scream that would give him nightmares for years to come. It was so raw and pain filled that he could have sworn that he felt whatever pain Harry was feeling for just a second. It was such an intense, soul deep pain that he could have sworn that his heart had literally broken. The necklace started to glow, getting steadily brighter until he had to close his eyes and turn his head away. It seemed to last forever, although it was probably only some seconds, before it suddenly disappeared.

When he opened his eyes, Harry was no longer in the arm chair, but kneeling beside the sofa that Draco had been lounging on only minutes before. There was someone else there also, sprawled on the sofa. Their arm was hanging boneless off the side and was dripping what he assumed was blood onto the carpet. He crawled over to kneel beside Harry and gasped at what he saw. It was a man that looked vaguely familiar but he couldn't place the face. That was probably because he was covered in blood. The blood was coming from the fist sized hole in his chest. He looked over at Harry, who was tenderly brushing the man's hair away from his face and mumbling things like, _'don't leave me,' and 'you promised me.' _It was obvious that this man meant a lot to Harry.

Before he could ask Harry any questions, Professors Dumbledore and Snape burst into the room followed by an almost frantic madam Pomfrey. From their alarmed gasps when they saw the man, it was obvious that they also knew who this man was. The Potions professor had to bodily remove Harry from the man's side and restrain him to keep him from getting in Madam Pomfrey's way.

"Professor? Who is this man," he asked his head of house.

"You don't remember your former DADA professor?" was the man's reply.

Suddenly, he recognized the face and everything clicked. No wonder Harry was so distraught; he knew that Harry had been particularly close to him, although he had no idea that they were so close. When the man had resigned, a lot of students had hoped he would make a triumphant return to teach again. He was certain that no one had pictured to return of Remus Lupin to turn out quite like this.

* * *

That's all folks! Liked it, Loved it, Hated it? Drop me a review and let me know. Constructive criticism is always welcome.

**I want to thank all those who have read and reviewed this story. Your words of encouragement mean so much to me.**

Til next time, please drink responsibly!

Bear hugs and Eskimo kisses,

Ava


	11. One Moment

Disclaimer: If you don't know that I'm NOT JKR by now, I doubt you've been reading my story. If you have been reading this story and still think I'm JKR, then I'm very flattered. I also don't own Youko Kurama or any other YYH characters.

xXxXxXx

**WARNING**: The characters are a bit OOC in this chapter and will be from this point on. I think! More hints of slash in this one, but nothing major.

oOoOoOo

**Chapter 11**

**One Moment**

Draco couldn't help casting worried glances at Harry as they walked back to his room. He hadn't said much since the injured werewolf had arrived in his room except to murmur about promises.

After madam Pomfrey had declared him stable enough to move, Remus had been transferred to the hospital wing. Hours later, she had done all she could for him and all they could do was hope that he would pull through. It had taken a lot, including very candid and disturbingly creative threats from both madam Pomfrey and Professor Snape to get Harry to leave Remus' side and try to get some rest. Even after the threats, it still took a promise from all three adults to notify him the moment anything at all changed before Harry reluctantly left the hospital wing.

Draco had firm orders from Dumbledore to take care of Harry; although he was about to request permission to do exactly that before the headmaster even suggested that he do so. Harry didn't appreciate being treated like some invalid and told the old man so in a less than respectful manner, but Dumbledore didn't budge. He did however suggest that Professor Snape be the one to watch over Harry since he was so vocally opposed to Draco doing so as a possible compromise. The look of utter distaste on Harry's face at the suggestion actually caused Snape himself to let out a chuckle, and so that's how Draco Malfoy found himself playing baby sitter to a near catatonic boy who lived. Draco had been excused from all his classes that day, including his potions exam, and Harry's class was cancelled. Their joint absence was sure to make for juicy gossip around the school but neither of them would realize this until later in the day.

It was just before dawn when they arrived at Kurama's portrait. Harry entered his room immediately, leaving Draco to fill the curious and sympathetic fox in on the werewolf's condition. He found Harry sitting on the very couch that a bleeding Remus had appeared on, staring vacantly at the dying fire. It was obvious that the house elves had been by because there was no sign of blood anywhere in the room. In fact the only sign that the events of the early morning had taken place at all was Harry himself. The raven haired boy seemed unaware that he was covered in blood.

Having had enough of seeing the usually bright and lively teen so sad and so obviously lost; Draco walked over to Harry and took the bloodstained hands in his own as he knelt down in front of him.

"Harry? Harry, please talk to me," he coaxed as he tried to warm the cold hands in his own. "Will you at least look at me?"

Draco's concern for Harry soon turned to frustration at the lack of response. He seized Harry by the shoulders and shook him roughly to get some kind of reaction from him. Harry still did nothing, but he did finally look the blonde in the eye. Draco almost fell back in shock at the dead look in his red rimmed green eyes.

The usually vibrant emerald eyes that were almost as famous as the scar on his forehead were now a darker shade; almost black if one was viewing them from afar. They looked haunted; like the eyes of someone that had seen and felt far too much pain in their life. As he looked into those eyes, he finally understood why Professor Dumbledore was so adamant that someone stay with Harry. The pained look in those eyes made him fear for Harry's state of mind and wonder exactly what he had been through in his life that could possibly cause him so much pain. The look in those lifeless eyes scared him; they frightened him more than anything ever had in his life.

He started to shake Harry again, almost violently so to get some kind of reaction; to chase away the pain in those eyes that shattered his heart to see. He vaguely wondered when he started to care so much about the boy, no, man in front of him. Anyone who could live with such despair was a man, regardless of age.

"Harry, you're scaring me," he pleaded as he continued to shake him. His voice had now had a desperate edge to it. "Please, just do something…please, Harry, I'm begging you…just snap out of it"

Finally after what felt like hours of shaking him like a bobble head but in actuality was only a couple of minutes, Harry finally awakened from his stupor. While his eyes still showed no recognition for Draco or his surroundings for that matter, he raised a hand to Draco's face and gently wiped away a single tear that Draco hadn't even been aware that he had shed.

Draco froze for a few seconds after Harry's hand came into contact with his face but soon recovered and recoiled from the tender touch, although it hurt almost physically to do so. All of his senses had been telling him to lean into the touch and the urge to follow those senses was almost overwhelming even after pulling away. He needed to think and right now, being in close proximity to Harry was not helping him at all. He needed to figure out just when the green eyed savior began to mean so much to him that he would actually shed tears for him. Whether he had done so consciously or subconsciously was irrelevant at this point.

He climbed to his feet gracefully and told Harry that he was going to run him a bath. All Harry did was look up in his direction, so he took that as acknowledgement and left the room as quickly as he could without breaking into an all out run.

He leaned back against the bathroom door the moment he closed it and sagged to the floor. He drew his knees up to his chest and leaned his head back against the door.

'_What are you doing to me, Potter?'_

* * *

Meanwhile, in the common room, the object of the blonde's thoughts felt his ears get slightly warm. Harry unconsciously raised his hand to touch one of them but stilled his hand when he noticed the wetness on his fingertips. He stared at the hand for a moment before looking toward the bedroom door, where the one responsible had hastily disappeared only minutes earlier. 

He looked down at his hand again, and had anyone else been present in the room, they would have seen his face relax and his eyes return to their usual vibrant color. He started violently when a voice pulled him out of his silent contemplation. He looked up to see the obviously distressed face of the beautiful fox demon.

"Are you alright, kit?" the portrait asked, his voice laced with worry and slight affection.

His first inclination was to answer as he usually did and say he was fine, but he knew it wouldn't fool the old fox so he answered truthfully.

"I… I don't know," he sighed, before burying his face in his hands. "He's stable right now, but no one knows if he'll recover. God, I don't know what I'd do if… I just feel so helpless…

"Listen to me kit, from what you've told me about him, if anyone can overcome his injuries, it's the wolf. You just have to believe in him."

Harry said nothing for a few minutes; he just digested the advice before coming to the conclusion that the demon was right. "You're right," he announced, looking into wise golden eyes with steadfast determination. "He's going to need me to get through this, and I can't help him if I'm unable to pull myself together."

Kurama titled his head upward and sniffed haughtily, before calmly stating, "Of course I'm right."

Harry laughed sincerely and finally stood up, realizing that the fox was trying to make him laugh. "Thank you."

He started to head towards the bathroom when Kurama's voice stopped him once more. Harry groaned when he saw that his golden eyes were glowing with a mischief that the green eyed savior had come to fear after getting to know the fox. He knew the fox was about to say something lewd. He wasn't disappointed.

"One more piece of advice for you kit," he said sweetly, "If I were you, I wouldn't let the blonde know just how helpless you feel. After all, he is a Slytherin and might be unable to resist the temptation of taking advantage of your vulnerability."

Harry fought down the fierce blush that found its way onto his face but he was determined not to let Kurama get the last laugh for once.

He smirked coyly at Kurama and fluttered his eyelashes in a manner he hoped was sexy. "Maybe I want him to take advantage of me."

For once, the portrait guardian was speechless. Harry fought to maintain a straight face, while Kurama picked his jaw off the floor.

"So, are you finally admiting you want that **narcissistic** pain in the ass?" he queried after gathering his wits.

Harry's smirk would have frightened even Snape. "Yes… when you finally admit you want that **short**, spiky haired **psychopath** you call your **colleague**(1). I guess that's what they used to call it back in your day."

Harry lost his battle with his laughter when he caught the light pink blush staining the fair demon's cheeks. Kurama glared at him, but it lacked any real heat. He was just happy to see Harry smiling again. He hadn't really seen the boy smile lately and he knew it was because of the previously missing werewolf. He hoped that now that Remus was back, he would hear Harry's laughter more often. That **didn't** mean he was okay with Harry laughing at his expense.

The feral grin on Kurama's face stopped Harry's laughter instantly. "I'll be sure to give Hiei your regards… in your own eloquently put words."

"wha… NO! Kurama don't! He'll kill me! You can't do this to me (2)," he pleaded desperately.

"Watch me," he stated, before fading into the darkness of the forest. He chuckled to himself as he pictured the fearful look that Harry just had on his face and then suddenly smirked deviously in the darkness. He decided not to tell Hiei. Instead he would drag the other demon here for visit soon and make sure to irritate him beforehand. Harry would think Hiei's disdain was directed at him and apologize for what he said, unknowingly confessing to the ignorant demon. He swallowed the evil laugh threatening escape him. _"Oh yes, young Harry will learn just why it is unwise to mess with Youko Kurama."_

**

* * *

A/N: All questions regarding Hiei and Kurama will be answered at the end.**

* * *

Harry swallowed uneasily when he thought of what the fire demon would do to him when Kurama spilled the beans. Something told him it would not be pleasant. 

Pushing the situation to the back of his mind, he headed to the bathroom to find Draco.

"Draco? Are you decent?" he called to the blond while knocking.

A startled Draco almost fell into the tub he had just finished filling. "Of course I'm decent, Potter," he scowled, even though there was no way Harry could see it. "I said I was going to run you a bath, not take one myself!"

Harry chuckled as he entered the bathroom and Draco just about cried with relief at seeing Harry back to his old self again. He almost missed it when Harry began speaking. "How was I supposed to know that? What have you been doing in here all this time if you weren't using it?'

'_Thinking about you,'_ he almost blurted out, but he thought better of it. He didn't really believe in a higher power, but at that moment he prayed that he wasn't blushing like a thirteen year old school girl. Seeing Harry's amused expression and raised eyebrow, he knew that his prayers had fallen on deaf ears and his fair complexion had betrayed him.

"Draco?" Harry pressed.

"I um…I was…I couldn't figure out how to work the knobs on the tub," he fumbled, hoping that Harry would just drop it.

Harry looked at him skeptically, but said nothing. He moved to take off his shirt and Draco took it as his cue to get out of there as fast as he possibly could before he did something he wasn't quite sure he'd regret. The only indication of Draco's departure was the slight breeze and the rather forceful slam of the bathroom door. The Gryffindor vaguely wondered if the Malfoy heir was alright before stripping off the rest of his bloodstained clothes and slipping into the deliciously hot water.

* * *

When Harry finally emerged from the bathroom, extremely relaxed and dressed casually in baggy cargos and a plain black tee, he found Draco curled up on the couch, fast asleep. The way the suns rays caressed his soft features made him look even more beautiful in his sleep. 

Harry's eyes widened comically when he realized what he'd just thought. _'I must be losing it… even more beautiful?' _ He shook his head as though to rid himself of the thought. He looked at the blonde again and smiled softly. _'Beautiful indeed.'_

He settled at his desk and resolved to finish grading papers. Three hours later, his stomach made its hunger known. He looked towards the couch when he heard Draco begin to stir. A minute later, a tousled blonde head popped up and graced him with a sleepy smile.

"Whatimzit?" he yawned loudly, barely managing to cover his mouth.

"Just after ten," Harry replied, trying to convince himself that he didn't find the Ice prince of Slytherin absolutely adorable, especially when he rubbed his eyes with his balled up fists. "Are you hungry?"

"Breakfast sounds good right about now, but I need to shower first," he replied as he ran his fingers through his hair.

He got up from his desk and walked over to the fire place, lighting it wordlessly and pocketing his wand. "Go ahead and I'll get us some food."

Draco shivered slightly as he actually **felt** Harry's magic when he lit the fire. He looked at the other wizard, in absolute awe at the amount of power he commanded, even with just a simple fire spell. He was suddenly very glad that they were no longer enemies.

Harry fidgeted with his pants pocket under Draco's intense scrutiny. "What?"

Draco blinked several times. "Nothing. I…um I don't have anything to wear after my shower. I need to go to my room to get something."

Harry looked Draco up and down before answering. "We're about the same build; just dig something out of my closet…unless my clothes aren't good enough for your highness."

He flipped Harry off before heading for the bedroom. "Be sure to get me a chocolate chip muffin," he called over his shoulder.

"What's the magic word?"

Draco rolled his eyes. They'd had this conversation enough times that he knew the phrase was just a muggle saying, not an actual question. "Please."

Harry smiled as Draco disappeared into the bedroom and set about ordering breakfast for them.

* * *

"I didn't know you and Lupin were so close," Draco stated, placing his book in his lap so he could see Harry. "Well at that time, there was no love lost between us but still, to be so close to a professor suggests some impropriety on his part." 

Harry looked up at Draco confusedly, having completely missed the blonde's comment. After breakfast, Draco settled in an armchair with his potions text and Harry stretched out on the rug by the fire with a thick tomb assigned to him by Dumbledore entitled, "Commanding Magic." They had been working in companionable silence for the last hour or so and Harry had lost himself in his reading, occasionally taking notes on some parchment.

"Run that by me again, please," Harry requested, marking his page before giving Draco his full attention.

"Why are you and Lupin are so close?" Upon seeing the dark haired boy's pained expression, he wanted to kick himself. _'Way to go Draco,'_ he chided himself. _'You just had to open your big mouth and remind him that the man he cares for is fighting for his life in the hospital wing.'_

He slid to the floor fluidly and stretched his long legs out on front of him so he wouldn't have to keep looking down at Harry. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't have asked…it's none of my business anyway."

They sat in silence once again, but it was slightly strained this time. Just when Draco was about to resume reading his potions text, Harry began speaking.

"I guess you can say we're kindred spirits," he began, taking a deep breath before continuing. "He went to school with my parents. He and my dad were best friends along with Peter Pettigrew and…Sirius…

The deep sadness in Harry's voice as he said Sirius' name made his heart clench painfully. He remembered the end of last year when he'd taunted Harry with the death of his godfather, telling him that it was his fault, not knowing the damage he was doing. He couldn't meet Harry's eyes anymore and stared down at his lap, wringing his fingers. He wanted to apologize to other teen, but he didn't know what to say. _'How does one apologize for causing that kind of hurt?'_

"Draco, look at me," Harry prodded, pushing back his own pain after realizing why the other boy was so distressed. Mercury eyes locked onto emerald. "You don't have anything to apologize for." At the disbelieving look on Draco's face, he continued. "We've both done and said some horrible things to each other. If we start apologizing for all the hurt we've caused each other over the years, we'll be here 'til Easter, so let's just put it all behind us. Okay?"

Draco was too overcome by emotion to speak, so he nodded his head. No one in his life had ever been so kind to him without wanting anything in return. He was mortified when he felt his eyes get moist. He was even more indebted to Harry when he turned his attention to the crackling fire, to give Draco time and some semblance of privacy to compose himself.

He was pleased to hear that his voice was normal when he spoke. "Harry…thank you." He had wanted to say something profound and eloquent but that was the best he could do. He was rewarded for his temporary loss of vocabulary with a dazzling smile from Harry. He found himself smiling back stupidly, but couldn't really bring himself to care that he probably looked like an idiot at that moment.

At that moment, both boys felt that all was right with the world.

* * *

That's all folks! I really didn't mean for this chapter to turn into a H/D sap-fest, but the chapter had a mind of its own. 

(1)- Hiei is a portrait also and sometimes drops in on Kurama. Now, they are demon portraits so they're can do a lot more than the average portrait, like attack outside their portrait as long as the target is within their view from the portrait.

(2)- Harry is so frightened of Hiei because he has been on the receiving end of his wrath before. I'll just say that their confrontation ended with a giant scorch mark on Harry's couch. I might put the confrontation in a future chapter as a flash back if people really want to see it.

**A huge thank you to all my reviewers and to everyone who hasn't given up on this story. Words cannot express how much I appreciate all your support and encouragement.**

'Til next time (hopefully not months from now),

Bear hugs and Eskimo kisses,

Ava

P.S. Dont forget to drop me a review. I'll do your chemistry homework for you...


	12. Death of a Hero pt 1

Disclaimer: If you don't know that I'm NOT JKR by now, I doubt you've been reading my story. If you have been reading this story and still think I'm JKR, then I'm very flattered. I also don't own Youko Kurama or any other YYH characters.

xXxXxXxXx

**WARNING**: The characters are a bit OOC in this chapter and will be from this point on. I think! More hints of slash in this one, but nothing major.

oOoOoOoOo

**Hey all! Sorry this is taking so long but real life has caught up to me once more. My laptop went kaputz and this chapter just refuses to flow like I want it to. I might have to change the way it ends if I can't write it well, but until then, the title is still very significant. Anyway, I'd like to thank those of you who have stuck with me so far and I hope to post part 2 of this chapter soon. Enjoy!**

**P.S. I changed my pen name from Avalon's Child to Avalokiteshvara so i hope no one is too confused. You can still call me Ava.**

* * *

**Chapter 12 **

**Death of a Hero Pt. 1**

"Now, remember to think of your happiest moment and focus," Harry reminded his class, as they nervously waited to begin their practical quiz on the Patronus charm.

It was Friday night and the events of Sunday night were now like a horrific dream in Harry's mind. Remus had regained consciousness on Tuesday morning and was now out of the hospital wing. He was still very weak and got tired very easily, but madam Pomfrey had assured him that he would recover fully over time. The Ex-DADA professor could usually be found lying on Harry's couch reading one of the young Gryffindor's many tombs.

Tonight however, he was sitting behind Harry's desk in his classroom observing how the savior of the wizarding world handled teaching his classmates. From what he had seen so far, Harry not only handled teaching; he thrived at it. He looked at home standing in front of the class and genuinely enjoyed doing it. Another thing that shocked Remus was the distinct lack of hostility between the different houses. In fact, they actually seemed to be getting along. The Gryffindors and Slytherins still exchanged taunts every now and then, but their remarks seemed to be lacking their usual malice. He was pulled out of his musings when Harry hopped on the corner of the desk, careful not to obstruct Remus' view of the class. Harry offered him a mischievous smirk that reminded him of James when he was about to do something that the elder Potter knew he wouldn't consent to. Before he could question Harry, he slid a stack of parchment in front of him and turned back to the class.

"Any questions before we begin?" he asked. His question was met by silence. "Alright, if there are no questions, I have one more thing to add before we begin. Professor Lupin here has kindly offered to help me grade your performance in this little exercise. After all, who better to determine how well you've mastered the charm than the man who taught it to me."

Remus gaped at Harry and immediately tried to protest, but Harry cut him off.

"Keep in mind that he will be more critical of you than I will be, especially since you're not up against a real dementor, so I hope you all do the very best you can," Harry continued, trying not to crack up. He knew Remus had been going a little stir crazy not having the energy to do much, so this was his way of cheering him up and if it got him out of grading, well that was just an added bonus. He turned back to Remus, "Do you have anything else to add?"

He just looked at Harry for moment before offering him a small smile. He had realized what Harry was trying to do and was grateful for the opportunity to do what he loved. He picked up the stack of parchment in front of him and walked to the front of the class, before sitting on the desk beside Harry.

He surveyed the entire class before speaking. "Harry has done nothing but brag like a proud father about how far you've all progressed. I hope you won't disappoint him."

He was more than a little surprised when a look of fierce determination appeared on all their faces. It looked as if they wanted Harry to be proud of them, even the Slytherins. He looked down at the evaluation sheets in his lap and called out the name on the top sheet. "Mr. Boot, you're lucky number one."

Forty five minutes later, Remus had to admit that Harry had been justified in his boasting. Although only a handful of students were able to produce a corporeal patronus, every last one of them had been able to produce one strong enough to hold off a dementor.

"So, what do you think?" Harry asked, curious to know what Remus thought of his class.

Remus smiled and nodded in approval. "I'm impressed."

Harry hopped off the desk and leaned against it casually. "I had intended to move on to the next lesson but since you're all obviously tired, I think we'll save that for next time…we still have half an hour to kill, what do guys want to do?"

"Let's see your patronus Harry," Seamus suggested.

Harry laughed. "You've seen my patronus before."

"He might have, but some of us haven't Potter," Blaise drawled from his slouched position. "That patronus of yours is almost as famous as you are, but we've yet to see it."

"You didn't demonstrate before you had them try it?" Remus questioned, a little surprised.

"Well, you didn't either when you taught me," Harry replied petulantly. "Besides, I didn't want them to get it in their head that all their patronus' would be like mine on the first try."

"We realize that now Potter…I mean we've been working on this for over two weeks now and only a few of us can conjure a corporeal one," the Slytherin argued. "So you wouldn't be misleading us anymore by showing us your patronus."

Harry looked at the eager faces around the room; even Ron and Hermione were looking excited and they'd seen his patronus numerous times! He couldn't bring himself to say no. He had never demonstrated his patronus to them because he didn't want his classmates looking at him in awe, which was the reaction everyone had when they saw it. Now that he had finally mastered his magic, Prongs was more impressive than ever. Even though he was their teacher, he had made sure that they knew that they were all equal. It was the reason all the animosity between the houses was almost non-existent within the room. He sighed and pulled out his wand.

"Expecto Patronum."

They all looked at him confused for a second when nothing happened. He knew what they were thinking; after all, he was the one who told them that they had to put everything they had into performing the charm yet here he was, doing so in a rather lack-luster fashion.

As they were about to comment on the distinct lack of a patronus, powerful pulses of magic shook the room like the after shocks of an earthquake. He was definitely a sight as he stood in front of the room with his wand stretched out in front of him. His hair and clothes flapped around him as though an invisible, forceful wind was blowing around him alone. They sheer amount of power Harry radiated was exhilarating as well as overwhelming. There was no warning when Prongs shot out of his wand, nearly blinding everyone in its brilliance. The magnificent stag galloped around the room before returning to its equally glorious master. The silver stag bowed its head and then shimmered out of existence just as Harry's hand made contact with it.

The silence that followed was deafening, if not suffocating. Harry stared at the stunned faces of his students before averting his gaze and smoothing his hair away from his face. It was a nervous gesture that he performed unconsciously when he felt stressed. He cleared his throat and prepared to dismiss the class in a desperate attempt to relieve the mounting tension. He was saved the trouble by his Slytherin friend.

"And here I thought my poncy Hungarian horntail was impressive," he drawled, leaning back comfortably in his chair with his arms crossed confidently across his chest.

Harry laughed softly, effectively releasing the rest of the class from their trance-like state. "I thought I would have to break it to you gently, but I'm glad you're not too proud to admit it."

He returned Harry's smile with a self deprecating one. "I'm a Malfoy darling, and we're nothing if not honest, even if it means admitting the painful truth to ourselves."

"Still, I never thought I'd see the day when Draco Malfoy would admit that Harry Potter is better at something than he is," Hermione commented almost smugly.

Harry frowned almost imperceptibly. "I'm not better than Draco…or anyone else in this class for that matter," he countered modestly. "I've just had a lot more practice…about three years more actually. It took me months to finally produce a corporeal patronus and several people in here have managed it in two weeks!"

"True, but you were only a third year at the time," she countered.

"That is beside the point 'Mione and you know it," he scowled.

"I just don't think that you should have to belittle your own accomplishment in order to make some insecure people feel better about themselves."

"That's not what I'm doing," he argued, running a frustrated hand through his hair. "I just don't want you all to think that Prongs is the way he is because I'm the quote 'savior' or any of the other rubbish the Daily Prophet chooses to print. I have worked very hard to master my magic and anyone one of you could do the same."

It was Seamus who responded this time, laughing off Harry's earnest statement. "I know you like to be modest Harry, but whether you care to admit it not, you're just better than the rest of us and you should be thanking your lucky stars for it. I mean, I would kill to have it as good as you do!"

"Now who's belittling my accomplishments?" he glared at the Irishman. Looking around, he could see that most of the class agreed with Seamus' statement.

"I wasn't …

"Weren't you?" he interrupted hotly before drawing a deep breath. "Listen, all of you…

"Don't include me with the incompetent masses Potter," Draco sneered. "You have nothing that I envy…well, except perhaps your broom." He had personally seen what it was like to be Harry Potter and it was a testament to Harry's inner strength that he managed to stay sane…well, moderately sane. The pain and desolation in his eyes when Lupin had materialized with a hole in his chest was echoed when he spoke about his godfather, not to mention the heartbreaking longing in his voice whenever the subject of family came up. He might have only gotten to know Harry in the last few months, but from the little he knew about him, it was apparent that his life was nothing to envy. Evidently, his gryffindork friends, who had known him for years, hadn't realized this.

Harry shot Draco an annoyed look at the interruption, but understanding shone in both their eyes. The blonde understood that Harry life wasn't to be envied and Harry understood that Draco understood in a way that none of his friends understood, not even his best friends.

He surveyed the rest of the class intensely. They all felt the urge to squirm under his passionate gaze, even Draco, but his discomfort was due to an entirely different reason. "You're selling yourselves short," he said finally, sadly. "There is such a capacity for greatness in all of you…if you can't see that yourself…then I'm wasting my time. Class Dismissed."

He turned sharply and left the classroom, in a manner more befitting of Snape than himself. His class was left in stunned silence for the second time that night.

* * *

Don't forget to **REVIEW!**


	13. Death of a Hero Pt 2

Disclaimer: If you don't know that I'm NOT JKR by now, I doubt you've been reading my story. If you have been reading this story and still think I'm JKR, then I'm very flattered. I also don't own Youko Kurama or any other YYH characters.

xXxXxXxXx

**WARNING**: The characters are a bit OOC in this chapter and will be from this point on. I think! More hints of slash in this one, but nothing major.

oOoOoOoOo

**A thousand apologies cannot possibly be enough for keeping you guys waiting all this time, yet it's all I can offer. Real life is such a total bitch! I just realized today that I started this story the summer before I started Uni and I don't want to graduate in May without finishing it. That said, I will do my best to finish this story as soon as life will let me. I want to thank all the readers for sticking with this story and want to reaffirm that this story WILL be finished. Thank you all, and I hope you like this installment. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 12 **

**Death of a Hero Pt. 2**

Harry was completely unaware of his surroundings as he stormed into his quarters.

"I take it your lessons ended on a bit of a sour note tonight."

He nearly jumped a mile when he finally noticed Dumbledore perched regally on his couch looking like he belonged there. He clutched at his chest in a futile attempt to calm his rapidly beating heart while his other hand returned his wand, which he'd drawn, to its rightful place in his back pocket (Screw Moody!).

He collapsed onto the end of the couch gracelessly and brought his feet up under himself. "You take a rather sadistic pleasure in startling me, don't you sir."

"When you get to my age, one must find ways to entertain oneself," he replied chuckling softly. "Come now, my boy, what has you in such a mood? I was under the impression that your classes were going fine."

He sighed tiredly. "It was going fine until I produced my patronus and they started with all the hero worship, even Ron and Hermione. I just want them to realize their potential instead of comparing themselves to me."

Dumbledore smiled softly. "You really enjoy teaching, don't you?"

"Yes, I do…although, and I'll deny it 'til my dying day if you repeat this, I do have a new found respect for Professor Snape," he replied. "It can get quite frustrating at times."

"Well, I'm certain tomorrow will be a very much welcome break for you."

"What's tomorrow?"

"It's a Hogsmeade weekend." At Harry's blank look, he continued. "I take it you were unaware of it. I shouldn't really be surprised since the students have taken to calling you Hermit Potter," he laughed, while trying to liberate a bag of lemon drops from one of the many pockets of his voluminous robes.

Harry wandlessly summoned a bag of lemon drops from his Honeydukes barrel and dropped them in the headmaster's lap.

"Ah, thank-you my boy," he said, even as he popped one in his mouth. "I'd offer you one but your mood is sour enough without their aid."

"Its certainly not my fault that I can barely leave the third floor without being accosted by my 'fans' and gawked at like the main attraction at a circus freak-show," he grumbled, crossing his arms petulantly.

"It does seem your fan base has expanded exponentially'" he replied with ill concealed amusement. "In fact, there's a rather disturbing rumor going around that Witch Weekly intends to feature you in their next issue with quote, _candid never before seen photos_ of you looking quote, _mouth- wateringly fit."_

Harry's eyes widened comically before he was overcome with a coughing fit due to swallowing the wrong way. His face was completely flushed and tears poured from his face before the episode finally subsided. He gratefully accepted a conjured glass of water from the concerned but invariably amused headmaster. He gulped in deep breaths of precious oxygen before he felt calm enough to level a glare that would cause even Snape to flinch at the old man. Of course, said old man apparently had no sense of self preservation and was completely unaffected.

"Your comedic genius is not always completely lost on me but that was in no way, shape, or form funny, you old coot!" he snapped.

Wise blue eyes twinkled at him innocently. "It hurts my heart that you would think that I would jest about such a thing." At Harry's skeptical look, he amended. "Alright, I would joke about something like that but I'm not in this instance."

"But why?!"

"Why are you being featured or why are you being referred to as 'mouth-wat…

"Both!" he yelled, interrupting him before he could finish the repulsive statement.

"I don't pretend to understand the female mind but from what I can gather, you are 'hot-stuff' and the readers, composed of mostly witches, want to see more of you, preferably unclothed."

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Oh yes, my boy. As I told you earlier, an old man must take whatever entertainment he can get."

"Only you would find the screwed up soap opera that is my life entertaining," he sighed.

"I don't know about that," he smiled angling his head towards the door. "Your guardian seems to find the situation as enjoyable or dare I say even more enjoyable that I do."

The Youko was reclined against a large tree, which seemed to be the only thing holding him up, with his shoulders shaking from laughter and desperately trying to muffle said laughter with his hands and tail.

"Oh, its not that bloody funny Kurama," Harry huffed moodily, turning his formidable glare on the gorgeous fox. "How did we get on this topic anyway?" he added, folding his arms tightly across his chest.

"I believe I was informing you of the Hogsmeade visit scheduled for tomorrow."

"I was under the impression that it is too dangerous for those this year," he responded, with a slight frown creasing his forehead. "Do you really think that Voldemort can resist a village full of unprotected Hogwarts students?"

"Our esteemed Minister has offered us the protection of the Aurors."

"Why would the old codger do that? What's in it for him?"

"While I have no doubt that this deed is done out of the goodness of his heart, it seems that the general public is not at all happy with the minister's handling of the return of Voldemort. In fact, there's been talk of relieving him of his ministerial duties before the end of his term."

"So this is basically the old bastard's way of pandering to worried parents to save his own arse."

"Language Harry," Remus chastised as he entered the room, with Snape in tow.

"Potter, your vocabulary is sorely lacking," Snape sneered as he made himself comfortable in the armchair closest to Harry, while Remus occupied the other. "Cursing is not only crass, but a sign of diminished intellect, or in your case, a complete lack of intellect."

"Surely, since the person I was referring to is as crass as they come, you can excuse my vocabulary or lack there of," he fired back.

"And whom might this 'King of Crassness' be?"

Dumbledore answered with flourish, "Our most venerated Minister of Magic, Cornelius Oswald Fudge."

At his reply, Harry was both convinced that the old man was barmy and impressed he could feed them such bullshit with a straight face.

For once, Snape agreed with Harry and raised a perfunctory eyebrow to question the headmaster's sanity before turning to Harry. "It would seem that your lack of couth can be excused this time Potter."

"Thank you so very much sir," Harry replied insolently, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I can sleep well tonight knowing that I have your pardon."

The cold smile that graced the potions master's features made Harry reconsider the merit of provoking the man that was about train him.

"I see you harbor the illusion that you will be getting anything remotely resembling a good night's sleep by the time I'm done with you."

Harry swallowed hard and looked to Remus and Dumbledore, hoping to get some help or at least some sympathy but the found none. Remus didn't look even slightly concerned, while Dumbledore just continued to suck on his lemon drop, eyes twinkling away.

The shark like grin remained on Snape's face as he continued to try to make Harry wet his trousers. "I'll have to truly apply myself this evening to rid you of that ridiculous notion."

"Why do I feel as if I should set my affairs in order before we proceed," Harry said, only half joking.

"Considering Severus' current disposition, that might not be a bad idea," Remus chimed in.

"Who needs cheering charms with you around," Harry replied with a roll of his eyes.

"Glad I could help," he smiled, completely ignoring the sarcasm.

"Are we going to lounge around all night or are we going to do what we came here to do?' Snape asked testily.

"That lounging around thing sounds wonderful to me Severus," Dumbledore grinned. "I'm not quite as young as I was yesterday, you know"

"You're not quite as sane either old man, so what's your point?" Snape asked sardonically. "The boy needs to be trained and we only have a limited amount of time to do so."

"I agree with the headmaster," Harry piped in quickly. He didn't exactly savor the idea of Snape getting comfortable in his room but if it got him out of training with the cranky bastard, then he'd order the popcorn and butterbeer himself. Snape in a good mood was usually torture, and left him sore for days. Training with Snape when he was pissed off would probably be worse that walking into battle with Voldemort unarmed. The man was after all a master of DADA and a former deatheater as well.

"I'm afraid Severus is right my boy" Dumbledore said, looking truly regretful. "As much as I wish I could give you the night off, it is imperative that we prepare you to the best of our ability in the short amount of time that we have."

Harry sighed heavily before hauling himself off the couch and heading to the training room. "Alright then, we might as well get this over. I think I'm going to be glad for that Hogsmeade trip tomorrow before we call it a night."

"For once, I agree with you Potter," Snape replied with a sadistic smile as they all made their way to the tortu…I mean training room.

xXxXxXxXxXx

Saturday dawned bright and way too early as far as Harry was concerned. True to his word, Snape, with Dumbledore's help and Remus on the sidelines giving them ideas (traitor!), literally wiped the floor with him last night and into the early morning. After halting the practical aspect of the night, they went into lecture mode going through what he did wrong (a very long list indeed) and what he could do to improve. It was a quarter to five before they called it quits completely.

He barely recalled showering before falling into bed tiredly only to be woken up what seemed like minutes later by an energetic little blur of red. A sloppily cast _tempus _revealed it had only been an hour and a half since his head touched the pillow.

After fifteen minutes of coaxing, the red haired Slytherin got him out of bed and onto the Quidditch pitch to fulfill a previously made promise. She greatly enjoyed herself but he considered himself luck to have managed to stay on his broom. His entire body ached, his head throbbed, and he was so tired that he had dozed off on his broom more than once.

As they left the pitch nearly two hours later, all he wanted to do was go back to sleep but those plans were shattered when he was accosted by Ron and Hermione. He wasn't sure how, but he found himself agreeing to have breakfast with them and then accompany them to Hogsmeade afterwards. He went back to his room, took a quick shower and dressed in Khaki cargo pants paired with a white ribbed turtleneck sweater before proceeding to the great hall for breakfast.

The meal was somewhat strained as usual, but even more so because of his outburst the previous night. He also had to glare at several people nearby when they tried to stop Ari from sitting next to him. The rest of breakfast was spent helping her with her transfiguration essay while ignoring Hermione's disapproving looks.

"What do you think," She asked as she stole a drink of his orange juice.

"Hey! Get your own…as for the essay, its pretty good except you neglected to take into the account the difference that the wand movement can make," he admitted, handing the parchment back to her. "Next to articulation of the incantation itself, wand movement is the most important factor in Transfiguration. It affects everything from density and texture to morphological and chemical characteristics."

"The book didn't mention wand movement as being that important," she argued.

"But it is!" he cried, pulling out his wand and smoothly conjuring a bunny. "Take this rabbit, for example. The incantation to change it into a water goblet is _vera verto, _but depending on the wand movement, you can change it into a wooden, silver, or golden goblet as well as make it as heavy or light as you want." As he spoke, he demonstrated everything, ending up with a golden goblet that was floating due to being less dense than air.

"What is going on here Mr. Potter?" He turned around to see McGonagall's stern face staring back at him. "You know that magic for the sake of magic is frowned upon outside the classroom."

"I was just demonstrating the importance of wand movement in Transfiguration or any other branch of magic for that matter to Ari here."

She pursed her thin lips. "I see, and why would Ms. Dumbledore require such a demonstration?'

"I offered to read over her essay and noticed that she had failed to impress upon the reader the significance of wand movements. Apparently, it's not stressed in the textbook. I would guess that this gap in their education is causing the more than a few students difficulty with the subject."

"Yes, I have noticed this as well. Unfortunately, the ministry has once again chosen to impose its lacking standard of education upon us, much to the detriment of the first years," she said eying Ari's copy of the transfigurations text with thinly veiled contempt. "Ten point to Slytherin Ms. Dumbledore, for knowing when to ask for help and ten points to Gryffindor Mr. Potter, for your impressive grasp on the subject. I will speak to the headmaster about trying to rectify the situation."

After she returned to the head table, Harry was bombarded with questions from other first years about their essays. He soon found himself holding an impromptu transfigurations tutorial for students from all four houses.

By the time he extricated himself from them, Hermione had the look she always wore when she was determined to get answers and Ron was visibly annoyed at the delay. He sighed inaudibly as they made their way out of the castle towards Hogsmeade. He just knew it was going to be a bad day.

Little did he know just how right he was.

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TBC

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_I know that the banter between Harry and Dumbledore is OOC but they have spent a lot of time together this year and have become very close. This is important, especially in the sequel_

**Once again, thank you to all the readers and don't hesitate to drop me a review whether you liked, loved or loathed it. I hope to have the final installment of Chapter 12 up as soon as I can write it.**

**Bear hugs and Eskimo kisses,**

**Ava**

**P.S. Happy New Year...in advance!**


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